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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[Was she lost? Technically, yes, yes she was. That was how she ended up at this carnival in the first place. It's not a point she likes being reminded of, that she'd been separated from her brother, and if it weren't for Dedenne, she'd be completely alone.

That said, he was probably looking for her (why wouldn't he be?) and the best thing to do when you were lost was to stay put. Surely he'd come up with an invention and track her or Dedenne down. It was only a matter of time before he'd come!]}

Um...yeah, kinda. _{[She answers, scooping up Dedenne to let him perch atop her head.]} I know there's no show though! Wait...am I in trouble?

_{[Was this his stage? Was he a performer?]}

Naw, I ain't a part of the staff, but it's no good to be wanderin' around backstage, an' yer parents can't find ya if they can't see ya.

( It can get real busy real fast once the preparations begin, plus it's hardly a visible area for her guardian to pick her up from once they realize she's missing. It doesn't take him long, however, to notice the cute little orange creature on her head. His eyes widen, absolutely starry at the sight of it — naturally, he forgets about the topic at hand for a moment. )

Huh?! Who's that li'l fella? Aah, he's so cute!

( And by now he's close enough that she can probably see that he's got a bright stuffed animal of his own, carried in a bag at his side. )

_{[She's about to say that her parents aren't here, nor is her brother, who was the one charged with looking after her in the first place, but when his attention shifts to Dedenne she can't help but be distracted too.]}

Hm? Oh! This is Dedenne! _{[The little mouse Pokemon squeaks its name happily, both in greeting and in thanks for the compliment. Plucking him from her hair she holds him in her arms instead so he can get a better look at him.]}

He's super cute, right? _{[Shockingly cute, even.]} Ah, your plushie is cute too! It kinda looks like a rainbow colored chimchar or an aipom...

Yeah, yeah! Aww, he even talks. I ain't seen anythin' like him before, where'd ya get him?

( Obviously not at the fair, but you know, he's never seen something like that before? Half of him is still under the impression that it might be some kind of toy; in fact, it kind of reminds him of the kinds of creatures they put into video games. It's cute though, and he's absolutely delighted to see it. It actually snaps him out of his admiration when she points out his own prize. )

Thanks! I saw him at one of the stalls an' I couldn't just leave him there, yanno. Nn, but, I've never heard of an Aipom before..?

An Aipom is a monkey Pokemon. Dedenne's a Pokemon too.

_{[So many people don't know what Pokemon are it's getting kind of weird...]}

My brother caught him for me because I'm not old enough to be a Pokemon trainer so I can keep him and take care of him.

Pokemon? Um, I never heard a' those at all... ( Reapeating himself, but that seems... actually kind of troubling? Hello? What's going on here? ) I guess they're kinda like pets, yeah? Er, they seem like somethin' out of an anime.

( He mulls over it for a second, but shakes his head. ) Well ya must take real good care of him for him to like ya so much.

Of course I do! Dedenne is my partner and friend!

_{[He seems to agree, squeaking in response. That said though what's with no one knowing about Pokemon?]}

What's an anime?

Hehe, I'm glad ya get along so well then~! Yer lucky to have one so cute.

( Ah yes, but nothing like this back and forth confusion. Honestly, it's time to get to the source of this all. )

Huh? Yanno, like cartoons on TV. Don't ya have those? Hey, where are ya from, anyway?

Oh yeah, we have cartoons!

_{[Not that she's had much time to watch cartoons lately, considering all the traveling she's done.]}

I'm from Kalos.

Nnha, I dunno that place either... It doesn't sound like somewhere in Japan...

( So she's visiting, maybe? Well, in any case, he offers out a hand to her. )

How 'bout we go look around for yer parents? I'm sure they must be real worried about ya by now.

( And if they just happen to have their eyes caught by something cute along the way, well, that's probably fine too. )

_{[Japan? She's never heard about that either. Then again she can't be expected to know every region in the world! Maybe Clemont would know where Japan is though.]}

My dad is still in Lumiose City. I was travelling with my brother but then we got separated in the forest because Dedenne ran off. I was looking for my brother and found this place instead.

_{[This guy is right though - Clemont is probably very, very worried.]}

So he's not here with ya? That's no good...

( Kind of throws a wrench in the plans of looking for him, and somehow, going back out into those woods with no clue where he is does not sound like such a good idea. )

Then how 'bout we let the people by the entrance know yer here so if he comes, he can call for ya. Then if ya wanna play any games while we wait, I can try an' help ya pay for 'em.

Ah really? Okay!

_{[That has her smiling, sunny and bright eyed up at him. Not all hope was lost! Clemont would probably find her in a few hours, and letting the people at the front know who to keep an eye out for was a good idea. Until then why not have some fun?]}

Oh, what's your name? I'm Bonnie!

Yeah, 's no good to leave ya all by yer lonesome, right?

( His smile is much brighter now, mismatched eyes sparkling when she takes to the idea. Well, even if he gets back to Shu a little late now, at least it's for good reason. He seems to stumble on what to say for his name for a moment, but after it's passed, he sheepishly admits to it. )

Mika Kagehira. Nice to meet ya, Bonnie-chan! Now let's let 'em know where ya are so we can see the games.

Okay!

_{[Mika, huh. This guy? Bonnie likes him. She likes him a lot already. Not only is he pretty to look at but he's really nice and wants to play with her. Double win. She wastes no time snatching up his hand to tug him in what she assumes to be the right direction.]}

Let's go Mika.

I'm comin', I'm comin'!

( There's a bit of a laugh behind his voice as he allows himself to be pulled, evening out to go at a pace that she can find acceptable pretty quickly. Luckily it does seem to be the right direction, so he's happy to let her march them up to the front desks, only pointing out cute toys or rides here and there, (and absently, worrying about whether he has enough tickets for very long.) Luckily, it doesn't take long to clear the distance, and as they approach: )

So what's yer brother's name anyway? We oughta let 'em know who to be on the lookout for when he comes, yeah?

His name's Clemont. He's got blond hair, just like me, and big round glasses!

_{[She shapes out a fake pair of spectacles using her fingers, holding them up to her eyes, as if it'll help him picture what he looks like better.]}

He's wearing a blue jumpsuit and has a big backpack on his back.

Gotcha! ( And with that, he turns to the desk to describe the situation a little. Just enough to let them know about her brother coming by, her name, and his too, so that they can be called over the announcements when Clemont shows up (because, you know, of course he will.) With that out of the way, he can finally turn back to her, bending down with a smile. )

Now, Bonnie-chan, where do ya wanna go first!

_{[Good question. Good thing she's got an answer. Now that her dilemma has been set aside on the back burner in her mind, it's time to have some fun.]}

Ferris wheel! Can we go? Can we?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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