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!
coinsforlockerrooms: (crying)

Trying to Leaf | Newbie

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yukine could have left at any time. And yet the Carnival remained on her mind long after she had fun and intended to return home.

This was beyond anything she had ever seen, wonders she had never imagined and people from various worlds that she got to spend time with. Her mind tried rationalizing it, thinking it was a dream, but deep inside, she knew this was part of the myths of this world: Carnivals that come and go, vanishing with the wind.

Yukine wanted to continue helping, and give herself a purpose and reason to not let go of this chance she had, knowing it wouldn't repeat itself. Then, it showed itself to her, in the form of a girl with a grievous wound on her head and leg.

After the end of the gang war, she didn't imagine she'd have to help so soon. She stared with shock, unable to believe at first what she was seeing. Then, all instincts in Yukine, meant to help and save lives, fired up as she identified the wounds. ]


Miss! [ Yukine crouched to gather a few durable sticks and materials she saw as durable, even long trails that stretched like rubber bands that were surprisingly easy to find in this strange forest, before running to her. ] Stay still! I'm coming!
Edited 2016-10-13 06:27 (UTC)
waitingforplayer2: (67. EX: despair hurts)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 06:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chiaki slowly turned. It was hard to make out the girl at a distance and with blood in one eye, but the vague blob rushing towards her did nothing to reassure her. She cried out and started hobbling away faster, towards the treeline. ]
coinsforlockerrooms: (lap)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yukine saw her panic. She remembered -- people that were hurt often lashed out even against those trying to help them. Yukine slowed down, as she lowered herself alongside the materials she got, setting them on the ground.

She knelt in front of the girl, as she tried to slow her own breathing as she looked at her. She was too scared to even accept a charm from her. ]


You'll hurt yourself... Please don't run. You need urgent help. I can help you.
waitingforplayer2: (73. EX: despair takes hold)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chiaki was barely listening, trying to drag herself further into the forest. Although, it was strange - she'd thought that the forest was thicker than this, but she could see light up ahead, like a clearing.

In fact the girl, the blob from before, was sitting right in front of her. The forest had turned her around again.

With a sob, she sank to the ground, finally spent, another twinge of pain shooting up her leg. Tears mixed with the blood on her face. ]
coinsforlockerrooms: (lap)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yukine could swear the world shifted the moment the girl disappeared into the woods... and then reappeared. She could only let out a gasp as once again reality broke in this strange world, but once again, her senses focused only on the girl.

She extended an arm, now whispering as if calming a wild animal, taking only too careful steps. ]

It's okay.... It's okay... please relax...


[ Yukine needed cloth to clean and put pressure on the wound. With a quick look around, and realizing she still needed to make sure she was at least given first aid... she ripped part of her own skirt, reminding herself to buy or rent a replacement after explaining what had happened, and then turned to Chiaki, extending the cloths in her hand, now cleaning her forehead.]

You will be alright. You're under my care, now.

[ Saving others, and granting them shelter. Realizing she didn't have a home to bring her to, Yukine decided she would give her one. ]
waitingforplayer2: (77. EX: eye horror)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 07:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chiaki was too tired to stop the girl from approaching. When Yukine touched her forehead, she momentarily jerked back, both at the surprise and at the sudden pain that came from touching the wound. It was something between a bad bruise and a gash -- the bleeding probably made it look worse than it was. ]
coinsforlockerrooms: (serious)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yukine measured her breaths. Her sole focus became treating Chiaki. Upon spotting the wound on her forehead, Yukine began by tying a knot around her head, ensuring the cloth over her would keep the gash closed until she brought her back to civilization.

The leg... Yukine never truly got to see wounds as serious as this one. Her heart hammered at the sight of it, but her body acted on its own, beginning by ripping another piece of cloth that she handed over to Chiaki. ]


Put pressure on the wound with this. [ She grabbed a pair a pair of the branches she tied together to make an impromptu stilt, to prevent further injury of the leg. ]
Edited 2016-10-13 07:23 (UTC)
waitingforplayer2: (72. EX: last try)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chiaki's head was swimming - maybe it was the blood loss. She dimly pressed the cloth against her leg where the other girl told her to. Her arm was more of a dull throb than a sharp pain at this point, and it wasn't dripping as much.

Even with her eye wound cleaned, she couldn't bring herself to look the other girl in the eye, her head drooping with shame as she was tended to. But she couldn't just do nothing to repay her troubles. ]

Thank you...
coinsforlockerrooms: (hm?)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 07:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Soon, Yukine noticed the slowdown in the girl's heartbearts and breathing. She couldn't afford to get confident, instead using the time to get her to relax, and give her a will to live. In moments, Yukine slowly straightened Chiaki's leg with care, and then tied it alongside the improvised splint.

She turned over to Chiaki the moment she heard the words. In that moment, Yukine remembered her times tending old friends of her brother. She nested her forehead over Chiaki's ]


You will be sheltered soon. [ Yukine settled herself beside Chiaki, as she crouched beside her. ] I will stand up to walk you to the lights. Ready?

[ With her permission, Yukine would help her up, doing step by step, to go towards the strange lights beyond the woods... ]
waitingforplayer2: (75. EX: won't give up)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 07:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chiaki gritted her teeth and nodded. The girl's presence was only calming her down so much, but it was better than nothing. And it gave her something to do other than panic. Which was a plus.

She stood up together with Yukine, gasping at the pain as she put weight on her leg again, but it held this time, supported by the splint. She leaned on Yukine to keep her weight off it. ]
coinsforlockerrooms: (doozy)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 07:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yukine moved slowly. She balanced herself so Chiaki's wounded leg would not have pressure. The march had to go step by step, Yukine serving as her eyes and feet on the forest grounds, spotting things before she did, a surprisingly easy task with the flora that this forest sported, with numerous glows, orbs of light, branches that looked more like purple vines, and even faces on the trees.

Soon, as the forest spread, civilization showed itself.

Ferris wheels. Tents. The main function. The food stands. The games. In that moment, Yukine felt herself drawn to this world as if it was where she should be, like coming back to a familiar home. Yukine's eyes kept looking up, realizing the place kept drawing her in...

... Chiaki. Yukine paid the entry fee quickly enough, and carried her through the carnival. All, with a hint of a smile Yukine had as she led Chiaki along. ]
waitingforplayer2: (25. did you say something)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-13 08:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ She barely notices Yukine paying for her, her eyes drawn to the lights and sounds of the Carnival. Everything still seems a bit hazy. She's woozy as anything. ]

Where're we going?... [ She mumbles as she looks around, looking at everything she can when she's tired like this. She's still leaving a trail of dripping blood from her wounds. ]
coinsforlockerrooms: (calm)

[personal profile] coinsforlockerrooms 2016-10-13 08:08 am (UTC)(link)
To the medical tents. [ Yukine replies. ] We will get even more ways to treat you. I'm really sorry I didn't bring rubbing alcohol or anything else. But they have... [ Yukine spotted the medical areas, which was full to the brim with tools unknown to her, and even potions. ] More equipment...

There. [ Yukine helped Chiaki lean on the table, but at the same time lifting Chiaki's legs with a pillow beneath her heels. She smiled as she saw assistance coming -- and yet, still acting to help her. ] Hold together. I can give you a spell that will allow you to continue.
waitingforplayer2: (23. chisa come play!)

[personal profile] waitingforplayer2 2016-10-14 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
[ She nods slowly, her head drooping with exhaustion. ] A spell... like a buff. That's funny...

[ It's like she's in a video game. Even though of course she isn't. The other girl is probably just saying that to comfort her. And it is weirdly comforting. She even manages the hint of a smile at the thought of magic. ]