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 hands the tickets over readily, but looks contemplatively at her foot-grasp a moment before taking the mallet. It's less that he's staring, and more that it's causing him to rethink. ]

This thing is at least kinda calibrated for humans, right? [ He shifts his grip on the hammer, testing the weight, and gives the gem a wry grin. ] I dunno if I'm in the same weight bracket as... I dunno, an orc, or something.

We get all types here. Give it a try.

[Regular human strength probably won't cut it, to be honest. They get too many customers that are a little sturdier than the norm, and it wouldn't be a real test of strength if just anyone could walk away with a prize.]

I can always give you a consolation prize to make you feel better.

[She smirks.]

[ Something about that grin gives Greg the willies.

Buuuut there's no point getting fussy about a simple Strength game. It's not like he was exactly expecting to hit the bell even on normal human standard. ]

Ahh, what the hey. I've been needing motivation to hit the weights.

[ SWING DAT HAMMER YEAHHHHH ]

[The marker goes up all of a foot, and Jasper lets out a low whistle.]

Don't hit it too hard now. Those mallets are hard to replace.

[She doesn't sound the slightest bit sincere.]

Oh, come on!

[ He knows he can do better than that! He shoots Jasper a little grin at her taunt, and pulls out another pair of tickets. He's getting into this. ]

Give me a little credit here. I'm just warming up.

Sure. There's gotta be muscle on you somewhere.

[Jasper's not that good when it comes to giving friendly advice to humans. She considers it an accomplishment if she doesn't laugh when one accidentally drops the mallet on their toes.

Sometimes it works in her favor, especially if she riles them up enough that they spend more to try and prove her wrong.]

Swing it again.

Ohh, now you've done it.

[ Greg gives the jab the benefit of the doubt, taking it as playful banter. This time, he takes an extra few seconds to stretch and shake his arms out. Yeah, now he's sure to get it at LEAST three feet off the ground! ]

Alllll right, see how you like... hrrp... [ Man this is a big hammer though ] ...THIS!

[Sadly, it doesn't quite go up three feet. It almost goes two. Almost.]

Look at that. An improvement.

[Jasper just sounds bored. Humans are predictably unimpressive.]

Yessss! How ya like that!

[ Hey, like he said, he's no ogre or anything. May as well be happy with what he can get. Greg preens, and makes a subtle attempt to fix that crick he put in his back. ]

Heh. You get all types out here, but there's nothing quite like the Universe! [ For better or worse. ]

[Jasper doesn't understand that comment or how it relates to him. If she knew anything about "Steven's" last name from being fused with Lapis, she's since forgotten it. The little quartz is still Rose to her.

Is he speaking metaphorically? And what does that have to so with anything?]

... I don't get what you mean.

[ His laughter peters down to a little cough. ]

Ahh, just a little in-joke. Guess it's not so relevant in a place like this.

[He shrugs, grinning up at her.]

I mean, I know you've probably seen all sorts of crazy strength around here. But not too shabby for your plain ol' human, right?

Sure.

[She wants to tell him it really is kind of shabby, but that's not good for business. The mercenary part of her job is so much more up her alley.]

You didn't break your back in the process or anything.

No lasting damage, anyway, haha... ahhh.

[ ...Yeah, he really ought to start working out again. ]

Well, what about you? Bet you can hit that bell no problem, right?

[Jasper takes the bell back from Greg. Then, holding it in one hand, she raises it up and slams it down hard, sending the marker flying up to ring the bell at the top.]

[ Greg lets out a whoop at her display. Even with inhuman strength as a daily fact of life, everything is more exciting in an environment like this. ]

Oh, that settles it. I'm finding the old barbell again when I get home.

I've heard it takes constant effort to keep the human body physically fit.

[That's why they're such a weak species. She almost says this out loud. It's very hard to refrain from certain commentary.]

Well, yeah! You should've seen me back when I lifted on the reg. You can imagine how much more impressive I was!

[ i.e, even remotely impressive. ]

I take it you're used to things staying a little more reliable.

[Sorry to say, she honestly doesn't care how Greg used to look. At least she doesn't express as much.]

Real gems always remain close to their original form. It defines them.

[Let's just ignore the way she looks currently. This is a special situation.]

You're a-- [ He blinks, squinting at her nose-gem a second. ] Oh. Oh, wow, I didn't even--huh. That explains a lot, actually. I didn't expect to run into another gem here!

[Jasper's eyes narrow.]

You know about gems?

[Usually the only ones she runs into that know about them are gems themselves.]

[ That sets off a small chain reaction of thoughts in Greg's mind.

She's a Gem, but he doesn't know her. Which means she's probably from Homeworld. Which isn't super fond of Earth, and definitely not fond of the Crystal Gems. But she's here, and not on Homeworld, which means...?

...Well, he better play it safe. ]

Yeah, you know, you guys, are, uh... you all travel all over, you know! Conquering planets and stuff. Word gets around...

You're human.

[It's not as if every planet has a population of creatures that are exactly the same. Humans are quite specifically an Earth species.

She flips the hammer around so that the heavy end hits the ground with a loud thud, then leans on the handle.]

How did word get around?

Oh! You've heard of humans! Ah... ha.

[Clears throat casually]

Well, uh. History books talk about things, a little. Relics left behind. You know!

No. I don't know.

[She hadn't looked into Earth history. It hadn't been important. Human existence as a whole isn't important. They're taking up space on a planet that should have belonged to gems by rights.

Greg's lucky, though. Because:]

...Honestly I don't care. [She relaxes her stance.]

Your recollections of history would be inaccurate anyway.

Y-yeah, probably. Not like I was there, or anything...!

[Sounds like his cue to go before things can escalate. He backs off, smiling warily.]

I better get out of your hair, let you get back to work. Uhh, thanks for chatting!

(no subject)

missionfail - 2016-10-17 05:19 (UTC) - Expand

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