⇨ 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

[babbylon]

[...well. He's certainly large, alright.

Gilgamesh looks up, up, up, but does not seem the slightest bit intimidated by any differences in size. If anything, he's intrigued by the particularly strange or exotic, and Jajo apparently qualifies as both. He takes a few steps towards him, not necessarily tentative but rather cautiously curious.]

A simple coin flip. You call heads or tails, and if it lands to your favor, you win my wager. Otherwise, I win yours.

[Gilgamesh appears tight-lipped on said wager, however. His long ears perk as he asks, with evident greed creeping into his tone:]

What would you consider "second finest"?

[rescuee]

[ He's no expert in ways that games can be rigged, but even Jajo can think of a few ways a coin toss could go terribly, consistently wrong. He considers it thoughtfully, with his head cocked and the tufted tip of his tail swaying. ]

My cell. Does it still count as fine if it'd be useless to anyone else here, do you think?

[ It would be rude turn down someone's game, no matter how bad an idea it sounds, but maybe he can talk his way out of it by only presenting undesirable things. That should work, right? ]

[babbylon]

[Bluntly:]

If it is so useless to me, I shall not accept it. Do better.

[rescuee]

[ Well good, at least he gets to keep his cell. He'll need that, whenever he gets home again. He makes another show of patting down a few more pockets. ]

I don't see any readers, so I don't think you'd be able to spend anything of my credits here... That doesn't leave much, I'm afraid.

[ So he's off the hook, go on and say it. ]

[babbylon]

Your dignity.

[Uh-oh. That does not sound good. Moreover, it also does not sound like off the hook. Quite the opposite, in fact.]

We shall simply call it a favor that you owe me, then. To be fulfilled at my discretion.

[rescuee]

[ Well, there had been a hopefully blossoming smile taking place, but that nips it right in the bud. Jajo stares at Gilgamesh for a good few seconds, then with a tiny shake of his head: ] Your stakes are going to have to be pretty high to make this worth it, aren't they?

[ So much for freedom. His last hope is that this guy can't offer anything good, but that seems unlikely for someone proposing the game in the first place. ]

[babbylon]

From you, I take one favor.

[Gilgamesh's wager proves damningly simple...]

To you, I offer two.

[...and ridiculously egotistical, as he seems all but assured that he'll win.]

[rescuee]

Generous.

[ And he does sound impressed. That would be a good deal. That is, if this new friend of his weren't making it painfully obvious that he fully expects to win.

Still... it isn't as if Jajo is doing much else with himself. His dignity could stand the hit.

He's got to at least try to make this fair, though... So: ] I'd like to pick the coin we use, if it's all the same to you.

[babbylon]

[Unbeknownst to him, Gilgamesh had made this same deal with another worker earlier. And in that case, he was also forced to pick a coin that was not of his choice. This time, he's prepared. He's enchanted both coins in his pocket, and made them appear absolutely identical—equal in every way.

However, the same catch as before exists. Gilgamesh, affected by fae magic, cannot lie if confronted with something directly. If the stranger challenges him on the fairness of either of the coins, he must tell them they are rigged in his favor. So now they play a game within a game: a game of body language, where Jajo must try to oust the deceiver before he deceives.]

Here. I have two.

[Gilgamesh pulls out two coins. True to form, they look exactly the same, and do not seem to waft any aura of magic.]

Pick whichever one you like; examine them as you see fit.

[rescuee]

[ His bright green eyes drop to study the coins carefully. This requires some stooping, but he's used to that. He has honestly no idea how either of them could have been altered, but he's still confident there's some way to do it. This man's manner says as much. But would it be just one of them? Is this part of the game? It could also be both of them, couldn't it? He rubs his chin thoughtfully with a metal finger, then drops his gaze off to the side.

And: providence.

Off to the side, half hidden in the shadow of a nearby booth, is a single, filthy coin on the ground. He ducks away to pluck it up, and holds it out with a cheerful smile like he's proud of his find. ]

What about this one?

[babbylon]

[...gods be damned. Gilgamesh actually curses aloud.]

I am not playing with some filthy piece of metal you found off the ground, mongrel. Pick one of mine or slink away like a coward.

[This behavior seems suspicious. Almost too aggressive. But Gilgamesh was a prideful sort; it was questionable if he could back from this himself. Will the stranger relent?]

[rescuee]

[ Well, that's quite a change in tone. Jajo must be onto something. He drops his eyes back to the coin held carefully in his large hand, regarding it fondly. Like a filthy but adorable puppy just found in the gutter. ]

You don't have to worry about touching it. I can flip it for us, that's no problem. [ He lifts it a little higher, framing it delicately between two fingers. ] It's fine, see? I'm sure it will work.

[babbylon]

[@#$%

Now he's the one stuck without any exit in sight. Gilgamesh grumbles, but ultimately pockets both coins; it looks like he'll have to play this fair and square, otherwise he'll seem like a fool in front of this fledgling. And Gilgamesh was certainly no fool. Squaring his shoulders, he stands with confidence and states:]

Fine. I call heads.

[Fingers crossed he doesn't wind up in debt to some random flunky off the street.]

i'll leave the outcome up to you, random.org it or just decide it yourself, either works for me!

[rescuee]

[ Not the most graceful recovery, but Jajo appreciates that he's willing to go through with it anyway. He smiles kindly for just an instant before he's given the coin a flick. It dives into the air, a little ball of spinning street grime, and he catches it again with a clink of metal on metal, palm closed around the coin. ]

Our moment of truth.

[ He opens his hand again, palm flat, held out for Gilgamesh to make the announcement. ]

I flipped three tails in a row, sorry gil

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh peers over, about to smugly announce his victory, but then...]

...

[...]

...

[babbylon]

[...it was tails.]

My first favor is to not immediately kill you you on the spot.

wow gil, sucks to be you

[rescuee]

[ He pulls it back to look for himself, although it seems exceedingly unlikely that a guy like this would do anything but loudly and happily claim victory, if he had it. And: tails it is. Well then. He looks a little pleased with himself, and decides maybe this dirty little thing is actually lucky. That's good, he could really use some luck. ]

I'll take it. And for a second favor, I think I'd like...

[ For a while he's suspected that there's very little he could want for that stranger can give him. By now he's almost sure it's true. And so: ]

...To know your name.

sucks to be you you* because apparently I can't proofread ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[babbylon]

...!

[Oh... that's... that's a little unexpected, actually. Or very unexpected. Gilgamesh blinks a few times, clearly caught off guard. Clearly expecting a crueler fate, not the kindness of a mere introduction. He can't even find it in himself to get angry or even annoyed, instead giving in and extending his hand.

He won, after all. Fair's fair.]

Gilgamesh.

[And I will be watching you for certain, now.]

i don't even want to look back and see how many typos i've left littered in my wake, you're good

[rescuee]

[ Oh, he knows this one. He's recently learned it. The handshake. He solemnly accepts, taking Gilgamesh's hand carefully and enveloping it completely in his own. Three methodical ups and downs, that's how you do it. ]

I'm Jatuarnada Joadiarnadata. [ And shortly after, his usual addition: ] You can call me Jajo.

[ Because it's okay, he understands that life is too short to remember a name like Jatuarnada Joadiarnadata. ]

It seems like you know your way around here, Gilgamesh. Is that right?

[babbylon]

Very well, Jajo.

[Gilgamesh was sort of a mouthful in itself, but he can still appreciate a shorter nickname.]

And that is correct; I am one of the veterans of this place. If you had questions, I may be inclined to answer.

[rescuee]

[ His eyebrows arch upward, and an amused smile tugs into place. ]

You wouldn't even make me flip for them?

[babbylon]

[Gilgamesh is... maybe... a little... slightly... beginning to appreciate this sort of sense of humor. He scoffs to cover it up.]

I suppose that would depend upon the nature of the question. If you waste my time, you suffer the consequences nonetheless.

[rescuee]

[ That's good, because he has an endless supply of it. ]

I'd never dream of it. [ The little half smile fades out again, and more seriously: ] May I ask why you're here?

[ He's heard little hints and whispers of people staying on to join the show, not always voluntarily. It feels like a matter worth looking into. ]

[babbylon]

Because there was nowhere else to go.

[...well, that didn't sound harrowing at all.]

[rescuee]

[ Whoa, did he just ask after a Really Dramatic Thing? He considers the answer for a few seconds, solemnly, then nods. ]

Have you found anything here that makes you happy?

[ You know, just to continue the theme of Suddenly Serious. He's hoping he's read Gilgamesh correctly in thinking the question will get him an honest answer. ]