livinglot | ⇨ 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

[Well, he’s fair to be suspicious all he likes. Joker is well aware of what a… character he is, and his grin is both lazy but a little roguish.]

One would be right hard pressed ta tell. Y’know, at a carnival, yer supposed ta have a fun time.

Ah, is that it?

[ People tend to be hard pressed to tell anything he's thinking, something he prefers. In this case, however, he'll at least shed some light. ]

That would be because I'm here on business. I'm afraid fun doesn't quite fit into this evening.

[Ah. Not unusual, that, but Joker actually straightens up a bit.]

Ah, I see. Need ta see the owner then, sir?

[And is he going to have to make Sans do his job for once? Just for safety’s sake.]

[ Hopefully not. ]

That I do. I have something I would like to discuss with them.

A lotta people do, ha.

[A… popular lady, their ringleader. Still, straightening up, he offers his hand.]

I’m Joker, one of the supervisors for the circus. Might I have a name ta tell our Ringleader who’s callin’?

John Childermass. [ Is the name he'll offer while taking the offered hand to shake. ] Hopefully I have not come at a bad time, Mr. Joker.

[ As in hopefully he won't have to wait out any shows, if it's the Ringleader who's in charge.

Mister Childermass, the pleasure’s all mine.

[The wood his hand is made of, gnarled and natural, make the handshake a bit stiff, but Joker does his best to not make it an uncomfortable event. He’s had a couple of years to get used to it.]

Oh, we’re just gettin back into business after some renovations, that’s all! [You know, vampire attacks, stuff like that.] S’quite a good time, really, it’s only a matter of wranglin’ the Ringleader from her duties. Still, it wouldn’t do ta have an important guest like yerself waitin’ in discomfort. Could I interest ya in sittin’ down somewhere and havin’ a drink while ya wait?

[ Childermass will look at the hand in question, but it isn't more than a brief flicker of his eyes down, then up again. He won't comment. His plan is to avoid commenting on most things, as most things here are so weird. ]

If it's no burden to you, I certainly won't decline such hospitality. [ Definitely not at a place he found off a faerie road (from his own world, anyway). ] Which is to say yes, you could interest me.

Then I’ll gladly escort ya ta our cookhouse~. Right this way, sir.

[Childermass’ plan of action is a solid one. There’s a lot of strangeness to pass by as Joker escorts him through the carnival, after all, and the brilliant glittering lights of the place only add to the surreal nature of it. Gems covering skin, shining scales, too bright fangs in too wide smiles…. And, of course, those like Joker with his antlers and sleek wings, the ones who’ve been around the longest and paid the bigger prices.]

[But he’s one of the rare ones that are like that. The carnival isn’t like it used to be, even Joker can tell that.]

[The area around the cookhouse is as lively as ever, but Joker still manages to find an empty table and gestures for Childermass to take a seat.]

Any preferences? Our cooks can whip up just about anythin’, should I ask 'em.

[Especially as a supervisor with a guest for the Ringleader. That’s certainly some incentive.]

[ For all that they pass through being so out of this world (or his world, at least), Childermass doesn't look. He's blatantly ignoring it, focusing on the back of Joker's head, antlers and all, instead as he follows along after. It isn't the first time he's encountered magic from Faerie and, like the other times, it's causing him some difficulty. It'd been less overbearing back at the gates, but the further they go... well, it's safe to say he's looking ill by the time they reach the cookhouse, though he doesn't bother mentioning it.

He is quick to take a seat, however, lest he end up passing out, and from there he'll endeavor to act like everything is fine, simply answering, ]

Just coffee, if that's available.

[ Not very interesting, he knows, but simple might be best right now. ]

As ya wish, sir. I’ll be back with in just a minute, and I’ll let the Ringleader know while I’m off as well.

[Two birds, one stone.]

[Coffee is simple and quick to get, and so is calling the Ringleader up on the walkie talkies to let her know she has a caller. He’s back in only a couple of minutes, balancing the tray on his hand expertly with pot and mugs.]

She’ll be on her way as soon as she’s dealin’ with a few contract matters. In the meantime, doin’ alright there, sir?

[Because Joker hadn’t missed how quickly he’d taken a seat, and he glances up at him as he pours out the coffee.]

[ In that brief respite from having to keep an eye on Joker, Childermass will close his eyes and try to settle some of the dizziness. Only when his guide returns will he look up again, first at the coffee, then back to the bizarre man. ]

Hm? Ah, yes, I am. It was a longer trip to get here than I had anticipated, that's all.

[ Which isn't technically a lie, but it also has nothing to do with how he's feeling. ]

Ya don’t say, sir.

[Coffee poured and whatever sugar or cream he wants available, Joker takes a seat himself.]

Mind if I ask where? The Carnival tends ta visit its fair share of places.

[ Considering how much black Childermass is wearing, it might not be a shock that he adds neither sugar nor cream and takes his coffee just as black. ]

Where from? Down from Yorkshire. [ Or is it up from? He actually has no idea if this place even adheres to regular directions. As an afterthought, he'll add, ] In England.

[ In case that's somehow a mystery here, as well. ]

Although I get the feeling that this place isn't set up anywhere near there at all, now is it?

[It probably says a lot about Childermass that even his drink is black, but Joker won’t mention it. A much more interesting subject has come up.]

Ha! No, it certainly ain’t near there anymore, sir, not in the regular means at any rate. Right now, I suppose ya could say we’re inbetween a lotta places. But now ain’t that a familiar name…

[Leaning back, Joker chuckles.]

Born in London, myself, but cor, if it hasn’t been some time since then. Traveled around a fair bit even before I came here!

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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