⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[ringleaders]

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!

Comments

Archer | Fate/Stay Night | Newbie

[anti_altruisms]

► 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: ]

[hoasen]

[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.

[anti_altruisms]

[ 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.

[hoasen]

[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.]

[anti_altruisms]

[ This is not outside the realm of possibility.

He takes, of course, this opportunity to aim. ]

Have you tried any of the others?

[ He isn't big on "games" really, but he has played two others.

He fires again and hits his target. Victory again! ]

[hoasen]

[Excellent, it gonna happen.

And waiting...waiting--] Congratulations! Which prize would you be able to claim now, I wonder...

I haven't tried the others yet, I just started looking around before coming to this booth. What of yourself?

Admission

[cuckooed]

[.......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?

[anti_altruisms]

[ ...by the gods, how long has it been since anyone called him "young man"? It tickles his sense of humor, if in a morbid sense.

He still appears thoughtful, however, and considers her with a measured, even stare. ]

I find myself curious - what do people normally offer as an admission fee to this "carnival".

[ He doesn't have money or anything of particular value on his person, but given how he got here in the first place, he expects other things might be accepted. ]

[cuckooed]

[Well, all things considered...she looks at him with a discerning eyes.]

What they can afford. Of course, that's not necessarily money, but I take it you figured that out.

[anti_altruisms]

I did.

[ There's always a price of some kind where magic is concerned...and really, most things in life. ]

Have you been here for a while?

[cuckooed]

Going on my second year.

[She looks bemused.]

...So shall I let you hang yourself with the noose, or let you find a way to take a hold of it for yourself?

idk I just kind of did stuff

[babbylon]

[Thankfully, Archer manages to make it through the gate without much incident. But after that...

After that, Archer will likely notice a presence stalking him. The carnival could and would take much from him, but it could not dull the superior senses of a Servant. A presence stalks him, haunts his every step, and he will know. It waits for him, it calls to him, it whispers things, until it finally makes itself apparent.

A pair of glowing red eyes watches Archer from a stray tree, dead and withered save for a few leaves. There are wings. There are scales. There claws and teeth. It looks distorted, a great mass of blackness that stands out from its surroundings, but undeniably this is the creature responsible for tailing him since the beginning of his stay.

It need not act at all. It only waits for Archer to inevitably approach, calling out to him without ever doing so at all.]

gil pls

[anti_altruisms]

[ He knows.

Within a few minutes of passing through the gate, Archer becomes aware that he's being watching. Why, he can only guess, but it leaves him wary as he walks quietly towards the carnival.

Eventually, he catches a glimpse of the thing, and his eyes narrow.

Archer stops, finally, but doesn't approach. ]

Not much of a welcoming committee, are you?

[babbylon]

[Once spotted, Gilgamesh crawls slowly from his perch. Lazily, showing off the extent of his mutated body—from sharp ivory horns to dark, dark skin to golden tattoos swirling across the expanse of his bare torso. It is not necessarily a provocative display so much as a warning: don't mess with me. A small dose of intimidation in a very pretty package.

His clawed feet hit the ground almost silently, and he rises to full height.]

I can smell you.

[His tone rolls deep, more than it ever had back home. Long ears perk and his own eyes narrow, too, pools of red on a marked face.]

I can smell you, and on you... the traces of what was once our world.

[It is an introduction, of a sort, one that outs him as a Servant. Archer will "smell" it as well; this is kin that joins him now, or at least once upon a time.]

[anti_altruisms]

[ ...well. This isn't the greeting he expected.

Archer frowns but otherwise doesn't react upon seeing the mutated form of an individual that he does indeed recognize -- or at least, the parts that haven't been changed. He isn't quite certain what to make of the lack of recognition, but he suspects that time is rather fluid here. Or rather, the Ringmaster does not operate within its bounds.

After a moment, he lets out a soft 'tch'. ]

You appear to be quite at home in this one.

[ Just an observation. ]

Has it been that long for you?

[babbylon]

It has.

[Almost idly:]

Our world no longer exists.

gamer's circle of course

[toogoodtoopure]

[He looks out the corner of his eye at the comment, pausing as he adjusted his grip on the water gun. He had been about to give up and consider the game rigged, but the advice on adjusting his position makes him pause. Yuugi considers it, nods his thanks and then shifts on the little box helping with his height.

Aim and...]

Hah! Finally!

[He gives a little cheer as the water hits its target, turning to look at Archer with beaming smile.]

Hey, thanks. That was getting a bit frustrating. These kinds of games aren't usually my thing.

[anti_altruisms]

[ Given what he already knows about this place, he can't help but wonder if the Ringmaster has a set age limit on the people she brings here or not.

The young man next to him is successful, and Archer glances at him after a moment. ]

It's better to win at these games than lose them.

[ For more reasons than one, really. ]

If you haven't incurred a debt, I'd avoid it.

[toogoodtoopure]

Huh? Debt?

[His brow furrows a little before he shakes his head. That...hadn't really been something he considered that could have happened, but Yuugi taps his finger to his chin as he's handed his prize, taking it with his other hand and thanking the cashier before turning his attention back to the taller man.]

I'll take your advice. I mean, I bought enough tickets, but, well I play games so much I could run out if I'm not careful I guess.

[Somehow he doubts even Kaiba-kun could talk his way out of debt in a place like this.]

[anti_altruisms]

[ Archer glances at the spirits manning the register but doesn't say anything. He's already watched them in a few other places try to swindle the unsuspecting, but it's simply how this place works.

He's ready to leave also, and as they're leaving the booth, Archer keeps his remarks simple. ]

Magic always comes with a price, and it is unquestionable that magic is the means by which we were brought here.

[ A beat, then- ]

They will try to trick you, if they can.

[toogoodtoopure]

Don't I know it.

[He's heard that before, and it makes him think of the sacrifices made to create the millennium items in the first place. Magic, dark magic especially, always seemed to come with a price. Yuugi sighs a little and shifts his backpack off his shoulders, placing his prize in there with a bunch of others and tilts his head to to give the strange man a smile.]

But don't worry about me. I've dealt with my fair share of tricky spirits before. Wouldn't be the first time someone's tried to steal my soul or something.

► TRYING(?) TO LEAF

[bespotted]

[Escape is such an incongruent notion that for a moment it genuinely throws Diarmuid off-guard. What is there to escape, when he's never felt caged by the circumstances of his being here? It's a fleeting thought, one that his mind cuts immediately short when he pinpoints the familiar source of the suggestion.

In the end, the strange magic that allows this carnival to travel across both worlds and time makes the arrival of a kindred spirit no surprise, but it is something the Lancer cannot help but feel a twinge of resentment for. An itch between his armour and his beating heart.]

I'm afraid taking the time to test the boundaries that far would put me at risk of neglecting my duties.

[Evenly, he answers, and his tone manages yet to be far from unwelcoming. Whatever subtleties may (or may not) colour the man's perception of him through the lingering glamour, the only reactions that might betray the knight's discomfort are the momentary narrowing of his gaze...and a certain, sudden dimming of the space around him, not unlike the effect of a cloud passing over the sun.

He won't deny, however, that he does find some diversion in familiarizing himself with the woods as they are.]

And I am certain I would know you for a regular. Forgive me for asking: do you mean to imply you've already found an exit elsewhere, or simply to warn against wasted efforts?

[anti_altruisms]

[ Well. If he's made it here, it only makes sense that other Servants would as well.

Archer quirks a brow at the initial response (what duties did any of them officially have, being so new?) but seems disinclined to leave his perch or offer anything more than a gauging sort of look. Servants are designed to fight and to fight each other, but without a Grail to fight over, there's no point in hostilities without due reason. Most Servants are sane enough to recognize this.

To the question, Archer simply waves a hand. ]

Wasted effort. The forest will only lead you right back to where you started.

[ Easy come, not-so-easy go. ]

You might see a few curious sights, however.

[ Like those trees with glowing fruit and burning flowers. ]

[bespotted]

[The quirked brow and the nature of his answer do suggest he expects they're both newcomers, don't they? And even if the Holy Grail had never itself been Diarmuid's cause for battle, it is true that there is no similar point of conflict here. No grudge between him and this stranger. He laughs easily, despite the fading taste of blood on the back of his tongue.]

I appreciate your intention, then, though I'd wager I've had a few more years to figure out as much.

[His transformations are less remarkable than those of a certain other Servant, but they are visible in the unnatural play of light across his skin. The feathers woven seamlessly with his raven hair, the absence of his shadow. Subtle things, non-threatening.

Lancer rests a hand upon his hip, apparently content to continue speaking up to Archer instead of trying to coax him down from his perch - since it suits him so.]

And what of you? Has the Ringmaster yet bought herself the skill of another Servant?

[anti_altruisms]

[ ...well. After some of the things he's seen around here, he might have expected more...what's the word? Ostentatious changes. If transformation of some kind is inevitable, he would prefer not to be a scaly monstrosity.

He notes the more subtle features this time and lets out a soft huff. ]

Yes. I approached her and made a contract.

[ Because that's what Servants do, isn't it? If he's going to be here, it might as well be worth his while. ]

I take it you did the same thing.