ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2017-11-25 05:29 pm
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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: NO ONE'S HOME

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!

Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's 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 (and should) read the full premise here.
  • Reserves and Applications are currently OPEN.
  • This month, applications can be for WILLING CHARACTERS ONLY. Meaning,
    the Ringmaster will only be taking newbies on if they are willing to sign a year contract for one of her rewards.
  • You can apply as a newcomer or as a "veteran" character who has been in the carnival for up to three years. In the case of veteran characters, you will need to come up with an explanation of why they haven't been around the carnival recently.
  • TDM threads can be used as game canon after the fact if both characters are accepted, the players agree to it, and it makes any sense contextually.
  • If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position. Head Cook and Treasurer are currently open. Otherwise, we're pretty much down for anything, roles wise.


CURRENT STOP
NO ONE'S HOME

This winter break, things are a bit odd down in the carnival grounds. Reason being? Almost all of the workers are currently spending their vacation up on one of the carnival's two moons, enjoying the winter wonderland the Ringmaster created for them. This means that the actual carnival area is mostly abandoned, and in this case? Anyone turning up there is doing so by total mistake. Ostensibly the Ringmaster is enjoying the eggnog a bit too much.

This will only be happening for a day or two out of the holiday schedule, but during that time your character may find themselves arriving in a totally abandoned carnivval, which is not what anyone wants. They'll be left to wander alone until they encounter other visitors, or until someone from the carnival happens upon them while stopping at the grounds for whatever reason. All ther regular attractions apply, but they are unmanned by anything but the ghoulish spectres known as cinder sprites. Without the Ringmaster here, they won't even address you.

ABANDONED: The carnival is completely empty, and it's dark out, and, well... it's sort of spooky? None of the attractions will be running, though nothing is stopping you from wandering inside with the cinder sprites not paying much attention. It's entirely possible you could get into some trouble like that, or maybe you're just totally freaked out and desperate to find someone who can send you home.

WILLING CANDIDATES ONLY: For the most part, unless your character does something really dastardly, all applications this month must be from WILLING APPLICANTS ONLY. This means, once your character is eventually found, they must be willing to sign on with the carnival as a new hire for one of the Ringmaster's boons. No trickery this time around! Keep that in mind when applying.

MONSTERS LURKING: While all the workers are gone, there are a few beasts that have been left to roam while everyone else is on vacation. Along with the cinder sprites, there is also an Alolan Exeggutor that wanders the forest looking for someone to smash, and the tentacle monster that lives in the Tunnel of Love. There's also a Slenderman, but don't worry about him. He's got the intelligence of an above average dog, and probably just wants to play fetch.

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. 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 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.

TUNNEL OF "LOVE": A brand new attraction in the carnival, the Tunnel of Love is mostly what you'd expect from such a ride - two people sit in a boat together which journeys through some glitter filled caves, complete with mood music. Unfortunately, there is also something else in there with you... in the form a moody kraken living in the waters, who has very particular opinions about shipping, and may either stubbornly interfere with any attempted intimacy, or may politely encourage it. Or they may just generally be a dick if they're in no mood for either. The Ringmaster insists it is a romance expert.

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.

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.

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!

DUNK TANK: Sometimes acting like a dick will earn you the gentle reprimand of being sent to work in the Dunk Tank for the afternoon - you know that game where people throw balls at a target, and if they hit it you get dropped into the water? It's like that, only sometimes there are daunting (but harmless) critters in the water, or some other strange magical affects to spice things up. Hopefully, the visitors will have bad aim.

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!
nevergained: (03)

[personal profile] nevergained 2017-12-02 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ooc: Got it! Thanks for the heads up :D]

Speak of the not so adorable flower and he'll come.

Frisk wheels around on their heels at that oh so familiar voice and just stares for a moment. Sorry Flowey but when one is more or less just off nearly getting eaten by a God/TV/Flower-thing, they're not going to jump immediately when he calls.

That being said, Frisk was all for second or third chances. They had Spared him and Flowey had made it clear he didn't understand why. So after a moment Frisk will make their way to said nearby curtain.

Also they are not addressing that 'are you or aren't you?' comment. The answer is always maybe.

"Flowey."

...sup?
wilt: <user name=xamag-undertale web site=tumblr> (it's showtime!)

1/2

[personal profile] wilt 2017-12-02 11:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, not a good tone, he can tell that much. Probably a Frisk that isn't on good terms on him... but this didn't tell him anything about whether or not Frisk has that knife and intends to use it. They've got the rundown already, right...? Right. He doesn't have to explain that you can't kill or be killed (if you don't want to or are extremely lucky) in the carnival.

How to approach this delicately...
wilt: (dating tense!)

[personal profile] wilt 2017-12-03 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
"I'm the prince who turned into dust. With the whole other human. SOMEONE turned me into a flower and then I had a soul, and so I had no feelings, and so I... did... a lot of bad things. I come from a timeline where you saved me and I let all monsters go free because it gave me their compassion back to feel them cheering for you."

A pause.

"And then since I let all the souls go, I lost mine again and I'm piecing it back together as my wish from the Ringmaster."

His smile is convincing in that it is awkward, shameful, and he knows Frisk has no reason to believe him. Nothing to do but make it more awkward.

"You... comforted me? Remember?"
nevergained: (13)

[personal profile] nevergained 2017-12-03 12:33 am (UTC)(link)
Visibly Frisk has diddly-squat to their name but that doesn't mean much considering Inventories existed. In all honesty they don't have anything but the Stick kicking around, but they weren't going to bring it out.

Also that's not delicate but an info dump of epic proportions. Thanks Flowey. They have, thus far, done nothing but Neutral Runs by now. Freedom - of either extremes - isn't exactly road well walked for Frisk. So they answer Flowey's question slowly.

"You said...you didn't understand why I Spared you. Why I was so nice to you."

Ring a bell buddy? Of course, that could mean a lot of things but while they were willing to give Flowey a shot again they weren't about to trust him completely. Also info-dump of epic proportions. Say what about being a prince? Because the only person who could have been a price was Asgore's....

Asgore's son.
wilt: (enemy approaching)

[personal profile] wilt 2017-12-03 12:39 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, because I didn't have feelings. Didn't I just say that? Keep up!"

... okay, so his old self is still there, especially when dealing with Frisk. Nonetheless he chills the hell out because he has the capacity to do that now (imagine) and sizes up Frisk. They don't seem particularly... threatening. Especially if they remember sparing him and even brought up what he said.

"... er, yeah, that's why. I used to be the person who could SAVE before you. I had something no monster had-- DETERMINATION. And when you can't feel anything in an endless loop of doing your best to help people, sometimes hurting people, it's..."

Shame takes over. God help him when guilt gets earned.

"...not like it's an excuse."
Edited 2017-12-03 00:39 (UTC)
nevergained: (11)

[personal profile] nevergained 2017-12-03 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, there's the Flowey they knew. That said points for reeling it in, that helps with this whole thing. Frisk is also going to crouch down to get on Flowey's level. Or as best as a twelve year or kid can.

They listen to what he has to say and yeah, for once Frisk can agree with him. It gets tiring being nice all the time. Even Frisk had their limits and they can - never not - remember those moments of frustration that lead to...not so nice things. And they can't imagine what it's nice to try and be nice for a long time when you can't feel anything.

It's not an excuse, never an excuse, but a reason.

"...what are you going to do now?" It's the only thing they can really ask. Flowey...probably wouldn't like it too much if they said they were sorry.
wilt: (uwaa!! so HEATS!!♫)

[personal profile] wilt 2017-12-03 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
"... become myself again. That's what I signed my contract for, obviously."

That was his one goal, regardless of if the other underground characters still feared or hated him, because he knew the truth and that he did some horrible things but he wasn't-- like Frisk was thinking, there was a reason. He wanted anything, even a prick of pain or sorrow, because that would remind him that he was Asriel, that he was alive, that something of his soul was still there, even if it was only sadness.

He wilts a little at the thought.

"If that means working hard here, I'll do it."
nevergained: (Default)

[personal profile] nevergained 2017-12-03 01:12 am (UTC)(link)
"Become yourself", working hard for it. They could say that Flowey was feeling Determined again but that's probably a poor joke. Frisk could be mean but they weren't about to kick someone while they're down and trying their best to get back up.

So...determined - lower case. They smile anyway. There's also a key word there too.

"Your contract?"

Did someone make Flowey fill out something to get 'himself' back? Is that how things worked here?