livinglot | ⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: NO ONE'S HOME

Entry tags:

test drive meme

⇨ 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Bro, I've been here for like... [he pauses, counting on his fingers, then holding up five] five months now!! Can't you tell by all my weirdness going on?

[hnnrgggh. So he doesn't remember when he was here the last time...? Well, it wasn't a very long time, anyway. No matter.]

Well, if you need to talk to the Ringmaster, she's up on the moon.

I already spoke to her. [He's done the whole "go to the moon, talk to a drunk fairy, sign your life away" thing already.

When Rin mentions all his "weirdness", Yukio blinks, hard, like he's somehow just now seeing his brother. That's a lot of semi-demonic weirdness. His voice is still (somehow) level. Flat.]

What sort of contract did you sign with her?

Oh! ... Was she drunk? [wait, no, dumb question. She's been sloshed since they started this vacation] So you're just down here fooling around? [that... doesn't seem like Yukio. But everyone had to wind down every once in a while, right?

Rin rubs the back of his head sheepishly, his (fairly new, flightless, small) wings drooping behind him]

I uh... snuck in and got caught. Eheheh. What about you? I bet you asked for something real important, right?

I'm not fooling around! [He snaps, voice suddenly too loud in the empty space. He doesn't have time for something so frivolous. And then Rin keeps talking, and it's so obvious that Rin apparently does have time for fooling around.

Why is his brother like this? Why does Rin keep doing this to him?]

Of course I asked for something important! It would be stupid to contract with a demon for anything less!

[It's not that Rin didn't expect the snap. He did! ... He was just hoping, maybe, this once, it wouldn't happen.

Foolish hope, but hope nonetheless.

Gotta keep making sure that Yukio doesn't see it bother him, though.]

Geez, ok! She's not a demon though, you know. She's fae. They're different! [....... kinda]

They're worse. [He shoots back, voice closer to a normal volume but tone still sharp with frustration.

Fae here are different from demons, but not enough to matter, not enough that Yukio is left entirely unaware of their tricks and powers (and weaknesses).

He turns back towards the booth and the pellet gun, but the cinder sprite seems unwilling to let him have anything that looks like a weapon, and Yukio is left hanging for a moment before completing the movement to face entirely away from Rin, and just walking off.]

They can't lie. That's different than demons, for sure. [but... he's not sure if that's better or worse. After all, he's never met a demon who could rewrite entire brains like some fae could.

oops. Walking away now]

Yukio, wait--!

[There's a fraction of a pause in his steps, Yukio the responsible younger brother responding instinctively to his older brother's call. But then he just keeps walking. He's moving now, he doesn't know what's going to happen if he stops.]

[Ok. This is fine. This is just fine. This is just how things are. Rin speaks, worries, and frets for his brother; Yukio ignores and does what he wants. And vice versa, of course.

But this is not fine, and they both need to stop pretending it is. Nosh, sensing this, nudges Rin forward with her snout. He lowers his head and then chases after his twin]

Yukio! Stop!! [he reaches out to put a hand on Yukio's shoulder] At least tell me what you wished for!

[A hand on his shoulder, a heavy weight pinning him like an insect on a board, and just like earlier today he finds himself moving without thinking. His hand goes up to grab Rin's wrist, and he twists away from the contact and shoves to knock his assailant down.]

Get your hands off me!

[Oh. He's lashing out again, he's hurting someone he cares about. A contract with the fae doesn't do anything to change who he is or take away everything disgusting in his personality.

And, again, the realization settles in and he takes a step back and turns and runs.]

[The energy between them changes so quickly, Rin realizes he's made a mistake before Yukio ever grabs him and twists his arm. But there's not enough time to react, not enough time to get away.

Before he even realizes it, Rin is on the ground, easily knocked over due to this ridiculous wheelie-shoes. He blinks dumbly as Yukio takes off running, completely stunned.

But you know who isn't stunned?

Nosh.

Nosh, surrounded in a blizzard of sand seemingly conjured from nowhere, flies after Yukio at high speeds and tackles him to the ground. She holds him down with her bulk and growls, colorful dragon fire sparking in her mouth]

Nosh! [Rin reaches out, still not sure if he can use his legs] Don't hurt him!

[He's knocked to the ground, landing on his injured arm with the wind knocked out of him and his glasses knocked askew. The left side of his face burns where dirt and gravel scraped it raw. He sucks in a desperate breath of air through gritted teeth, and then another and another as he turns his face towards the dirt and tries to push himself up off the ground despite the weight of the creature on his back.]

[she turns to look at Rin, and quenches the flames in her mouth, causing smoke to pour from her nostrils. The localized sandstorm also calms, but Nosh keeps her fat dragon-fly butt on Yukio's back. Unless he summons up some amazing Rin-esque strength, he's not going to get anywhere unless Nosh allows it.

Rin takes this moment to take off the stupid shoes and pad over to Yukio. He picks up his fallen glasses, gingerly, then shoves Nosh off, less gingerly]

You're going to hurt him! He already has a broken arm! [Nosh whimpers a bit, but stands aside as Rin crouches next to Yukio, offering a hand up... and his glasses back]

Yukio, I'm... I'm so sorry. She didn't... I didn't... hnnh. Are you hurt?

[It's probably good for his already faltering mental state that he doesn't manage to push Nosh off of him. Rin-esque strength is not something that Yukio could cope with acquiring right now.

As soon as the weight is lifted, he pushes himself off the ground, onto his knees and then standing. He holds his broken arm closer to his body, instinctively protecting it as it throbs with renewed pain. His breath still hisses between his teeth as he clenches his jaw hard enough to hurt, but he can't let himself make a sound right now. His eyes burn with the dust and the smoke and he grabs his glasses roughly back from Rin, inspecting the frames and lenses with abrupt movements. His hands shake.]

[that would be Pretty Scary. And alarming! Especially all at once, without warning.

... Oof. Cold-shouldered, again. Rin withdraws his hand quickly, as if burned, when Yukio snatches his glasses. It all kind of makes him want to cry. Why was Yukio this way? They were the only family they had left, unless Shiro magically reappeared from death again... but Rin wasn't going to hold his breath. So then, why? Why did Yukio treat him this way? Why did he think he had to do everything himself?

Rin steels himself and narrows his brow, crinkling his snout a bit as he does. Nosh is recalled into the pokéball he keeps on his belt, surrounding the dragon in red light and drawing her into the device. He draws himself up and speaks]

Yukio, what's wrong? Can't you tell me what's the matter? [he pauses, then adds, plaintively;] Please? I'm... I'm worried about you.

Worry about yourself. [Yukio says, but his voice is strained. His vision blurs even after he slides his glasses on and with a dull, exhausted resignation, he realizes he’s about to start crying. He rubs at his eyes, trying to stop the tears with a motion that’s basically just habit by now. He’s not some crybaby kid anymore. He isn’t going to cry right now.

His next exhalation turns into a bitter, strained laugh for a moment before he catches himself. What is he doing?

He can’t— he can’t do this anymore. He’s so tired. He ruins everything.]

Just... just leave me alone.

I can worry about you AND myself at the same time, Yukio! I have plenty of worry to go around!

[Rin slumps, wilting like an unwatered flower in direct heat. "Just leave me alone." The words pierce him (like a needle, though, not a knife) and he feels his heart ache.

It seems tears come for both of them, and Rin doesn't bother to hide his. He sniffs and lets them roll freely down his face]

Fine... Fine! You wanna be alone? Then... then BE alone! See if I care! Christ! It's like... It's like I don't even HAVE a brother! I may as well be a stranger to you... No. You even talk to strangers more than you talk to me!

[Rin’s words hit him like a slap across the face. The impact doesn’t hurt, just shocks him out of his scattered thoughts like a bucket of ice water.]

I don’t have to talk to you. [Yukio says, cold. He’s not crying, he’s wiped away the tears before they made it onto his cheeks. He can’t be weak ever again.

It’s time to move on, to move out of Rin’s shadow.

He takes a step forward, not towards Rin but past him.]

I don’t need you anymore.

[He’s made his choice, it’s the one he has to make, it’s the only thing he can do.

(If it’s right, why is his vision going blurry again? Why does he feel like he’s going to collapse?)]

Edited (tagging on mobile means sometimes stylistic edits have to happen) 2017-12-05 05:06 (UTC)

[Rin keeps his head down, eyes focused on the ground, as Yukio moves towards (no... past) him, his tail in a limp coil on the ground behind him.

In his shadow... How ridiculous. Yukio had always been the golden child, the "good" one, the twin who was going to go far and DO things! Get things done! And Rin... Rin had always been so proud of him. A little envious, maybe, but really... just happy for his brother's success. That at least one of them would do Father Fujimoto proud, even if it couldn't be him. How could Yukio think that?

Why couldn't he see how important he was? To Rin, to their friends, to his students, everyone. Why? Why couldn't he seehow much Rin loved him and just wanted him to be safe and happy? Isn't that what family is?

Maybe he's been mistaken about it all this time]

.... No. I guess you don't. [it's a nice, succinct answer to both of Yukio's statements] .... I'm sorry, Yukio, if I.... if I ever made you feel like you had to rely on me. I just wanted to be there for you. If you don't want that, though, I'll... I won't.... [he trails off and sniffles again, unable to find the words to complete that train of thought. ] But I won't stop caring about you. I won't stop loving you. I can't.

[And Yukio...

He just keeps walking. If Rin wants to talk to him, Rin is going to have to be the one who comes running.]

[Yeah.

No.

He knows when he's not wanted.

He can't help Yukio if he won't accept any help. Whatever Yukio was going through.... well, he'd just have to do it on his own, wouldn't he?

All Rin could do is support him. From afar.

He waits until Yukio has walked a good distance before grabbing his wheelies, and releasing Nosh from her pokéball. He caresses her head and antennae, then gets on her back and flies off on the opposite direction.

Bye, Yukio]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: NO ONE'S HOME

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject