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!
amusicaladventure: (Thinking)

[personal profile] amusicaladventure 2016-11-07 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"I guess... you don't have a job? I mean I know some places that would go for it, but it might be hard for people to look past the surface," Ash mused, tapping a lip with a claw. She knew aaaaall about that.
fourthscribe: (EXCUSE YOU)

[personal profile] fourthscribe 2016-11-07 08:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Tanyuu gives Roman a flat look, eyes those tail spines of his for a moment, before deciding it's worth whatever scolding Zecora might give and reaches over to grab Roman by the ear to pull him down.

"No, I really don't think you are."
seariadn: (Default)

[personal profile] seariadn 2016-11-07 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)

"A job?..." He sighed, shook his head and looked down at his hands. "I... can't even find somewhere safe to stay..." Seariadn had resorted to hiding in old, abandoned buildings and vehicles most of the time.

"Nobody wants a 'huge, creepy looking toy' hanging around..." Clearly he's had some issues with people that couldn't 'look past the surface'. "I... wondered if I'd have better luck here..."

It was a carnival after all. Even so, he didn't seem overly hopeful. Ash's reaction earlier had him slightly worried that others would get mad thinking he'd been made specifically to 'shill' for the carnival, and they'd not want to hire him because of that.

undeterrable: ([167])

[personal profile] undeterrable 2016-11-08 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
Human, huh?

[The word is said with as much sarcasm as Terra can muster right now, because the situation is laughable. Terra hardly looks any more human than Gongenzaka does, though arguably a bit more bipedal and has retained his original face a little, but the golden eyes that peer out from behind white hair, on the other hand, suggest otherwise.

Which is, likely, why the customer shrinks back when he looks at them. There's something...uncomfortable about it. Terra has never been under the impression that he's easy on the eyes, but he shifts from hoof to hoof, tail whipping behind him.]


Am I...human enough for you?
amusicaladventure: (Anger)

[personal profile] amusicaladventure 2016-11-08 03:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"You don't let them put you in a sideshow," Ash said immediately. "You get a real sensible job, okay?"

The catgirl had strong opinions on being judged by looks, which came with her gender and especially her species. Plenty of people thought the blonde bimbo was just a pretty kitty sex object. She could guess how people would treat a living plushie and she wasn't going to stand for a second of it.
neighborofthebeast: (Phhppttttt)

[personal profile] neighborofthebeast 2016-11-08 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
ROman hacked and coughed like a cat trying to hork up a hairball. When he'd finally freed up his windpipe, he glowered upward with tears in the corners of his eyes.

"That wasn't funny! I could have died! Then you would feel BAD!"
neighborofthebeast: (weh)

[personal profile] neighborofthebeast 2016-11-08 03:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Luckily, Roman is far too surprised to use his poison against her because the last thing he expected to happen was to literally be grabbed by one of his goaty ears and yanked. He bleats in surprise and his limbs scrabble for purchase against anything and everything.

Hooves have lousy traction and in the end, he winds up coiled halfway around the snakewoman's head.

"LET GO LET GO LET GO LET GOOOOOOOOOO!"
seariadn: (Default)

[personal profile] seariadn 2016-11-08 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)

"... Would working at a sideshow mean I'd at least get a safe place to stay?" Because he was kind of getting more than a little desperate. He hung his head a little and sighed. "What kind of 'respectable job' is going to want me?"

Right now as far as he was concerned, a crappy job was better than no job...

pipers_son: (icons-for-the-baes) (I'm going to hell in a handbasket.)

[personal profile] pipers_son 2016-11-09 04:43 am (UTC)(link)
“Nah, not really.” Resting his weight on one leg and a hand on his hip, Joker grins at the offended little demon. “Besides, yer fine now, ain’t ya? It’s yer own fault for slackin’ on the job where just about anyone can see ya~.”
betheman: (W H Y)

[personal profile] betheman 2016-11-09 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[This, over all, seems to be too much for the customer. They look between the two, between the claws and the hooves, and finally just mutter something about it being `quite fine, actually`, deciding not to cause any trouble.

It results in a (likely irritated) series of sputters, suffice to say.
] Q...Quite alright!?

Did you not tell me this was a wallet..!?
undeterrable: ([189])

[personal profile] undeterrable 2016-11-09 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
Gon, relax.

[Terra slides a look towards the customer after glancing at his coworker. The thing is, he doesn't even look angry. Instead, he looks rather unnervingly calm as he pats a shoulder, lips quirking as he raises an eyebrow at the customer before going to turn away.]

If their wallet isn't so important, then it's not important. It's not up to us to find it.
betheman: (well that's just TERRIBLE)

[personal profile] betheman 2016-11-09 04:45 pm (UTC)(link)
But- But that is-

[The customer is already skedaddling away-for his own part though, the centaur's fur raises almost comically, bunching around the ends of his t-shirt.]

IT'S 'GONGENZAKA'..!
amusicaladventure: (Thinking)

[personal profile] amusicaladventure 2016-11-09 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
"I bet you could work here. Hmm, what can you do?" Despite having absolutely no hiring authority whatsoever, Ash was seriously considering this questing, one finger tapping against her cheek as her eyes stared up and off into the distance.
seariadn: (pic#7932456)

[personal profile] seariadn 2016-11-09 09:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Quite frankly, despite the fact that she didn't work for the place, Seariadn needed all the help he could possibly get. At her question however, he looked rather unsure. What could he do? "Um... I can cuddle, move and talk?" Not really any sort of job skills there.

Being made out of fabric and stuffing took a lot of potential jobs off the table right away, anything that meant getting dirty, wet, or being near fire seemed like a bad idea, as did anything where heavier things needed to be lifted or hauled.
small_reservations: (unsure...)

[personal profile] small_reservations 2016-11-10 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's not cold, he's plenty warm through the thin leather glove. Just... no heartbeat, it'd seem. Definitely not human, at the very least, no matter how he looks.]

Yeah, it's just that they seemed to want a lot. Maybe something else of value would be better.

[He's seen other people trade in seemingly random objects. But he doesn't really have anything but the coat on his back and his chakrams... And he's not wandering around shirtless. Or unarmed.]
small_reservations: (Fire BG)

[personal profile] small_reservations 2016-11-10 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[Joker, you get a look. Though really, Axel can't judge someone for laughing at a plan going wrong.]

I've had plenty of "fun." The mirror maze was especially "amusing."

[There's a little bit of a growl in his voice, but he's sort of smiling back at Joker.]
spaghettimonster: (OPTIMISM IN THE FACE OF DESPAIR)

it can be the slowest of threads

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2016-11-10 10:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's a magical day of firsts for them both.] Shinigami...? No, there weren't any flowers in the forest! Except one, sometimes. [It's a long story.] It was just like I said; trees, and snow, and rocks.
ophidiarex: (Shouting for a Snake's Sake)

[personal profile] ophidiarex 2016-11-10 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Someday, but TODAY IS NOT THAT DAY.

For now, though, Snake just nods, and follows close to Joker. He doesn't quite take his hand, but it might not be a bad idea. He almost gets separated in the wake Joker leaves behind him through the crowd, but he managed to catch up, a little worse for wear, while Joker removes his tie. The tiny snake coiled tightly around his ear hisses.]


"Joker... Do you live here now?" asks Donne...

[He manages to convey the snake's voice even though Snake himself is panting a little from taking an elbow to the stomach. At least he twisted out of the way enough to protect the snakes hiding under his shirt.]
wagashiplz: (kanata004)

thank you

[personal profile] wagashiplz 2016-11-11 01:00 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. [ But even only trees were amazing. ] If it was only there sometimes, did it wilt and stuff and then sort of, sprouted back up? Like, laying dormant? [ Because that was a thing that the Shinigami did. ]
pipers_son: (The stripper told Tom to sort his life)

[personal profile] pipers_son 2016-11-11 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[shitty morally questionable redhead vs shitty morally questionable redhead, go]

Yeah, that one is certainly somethin’, ain’t it? Although, if it were me, I’d say yer more a ferris wheel type, honestly.
pipers_son: (sillica) (If I buy you $300 worth of Popeyes)

[personal profile] pipers_son 2016-11-11 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
[While Snake is by him, Joker doesn’t take well to anyone who tries to lay a hand on him. He’s always had vivid eyes and knew how to make a good glare, but now it’s absolutely poisonous with the vivid pink and predatory pupils saying he doesn’t have time for anyone’s nonsense. Wings flare out too, batting away anyone too close, as he starts to escort Snake through the gates.]

[The question makes him wince, even though his grin is still in place.]


Ah… Yeah. The ringmaster a this place did me a solid favor that I had ta work off… And now I’m tryin’ ta get her ta do us a favor for ours. Well, a few favors, I guess ya could say.
swingintoaction: (Woah what)

//jazzhands//

[personal profile] swingintoaction 2016-11-11 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[That gets a nod despite his lingering and mutual shock.]

Wow you sound different too but... if it's really you then what happened between you getting sent underground and going all fluffed out?
otoko: (OnO (MRP-))

[personal profile] otoko 2016-11-11 06:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I, the man Gongenzaka, could say the same to you...just what happens that you would call me that sort of name..!? [he protests, a near whine in his tone.] It would be like me calling you something like...

Like... ...YUU! [HE TRIED.]
swingintoaction: (Come on really..?)

[personal profile] swingintoaction 2016-11-11 06:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Um... because... "Gong Strong" is what your name's supposed to be...?

[Oh the horror, someone stop him.]

And you usually sound more like a cowboy or something.

[Too late.]
otoko: (HRMMNN =3=)

[personal profile] otoko 2016-11-11 06:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[....No.

No that's. No.

This is all so entirely outlandish and Not Like Yuuya At All, he needs to honestly cross his arms and stare.
] .........Yuuya, [He says after a few moments.]

...Did you eat anything odd from one of the stands, after coming here.