⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: WISMUTH

[ringleaders]

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. Recruits can be either willing or tricked this month. 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↴ ⇨ WISMUTH ⇦ Wismuth is a large coastal city on the east shore of what would usually be the United States. The world it's part of is an Earth variant, meaning that while some aspects may be different, overall it will contain a similar look and feel to Earth many are accustomed to, including some overlapping celebrities, corporations, and technologies. Its most notable feature is that this planet is a part of what is called a 'Pillar of Creation' - a focal point of Creation's energies in the multiverse. The effects of this feature are the only aspect of the setting that will be relevant for this testdrive, as recruits will be entirely within the carnival as opposed to out in the city. ► VIBRANCY OF CREATION: The immediate effects of this trait are that everything in Wismuth, and in the carnival because of its connection to Wismuth, is filled with an unusual sort of vibrancy - colours seem brighter, sounds seems to resonate more deeply, and all other physical sensations will strike visitors as oddly intense, including their own emotions. It's a subtle effect rather than anything that will be overtly disorientating, but it's almost as if everything is more "real" here than it is anywhere else. Obviously, the locals, whom are mostly just ordinary looking humans, have had plenty of time to grow accustomed to this. On the bright side, as a tourist, you have the opportunity to experiment with this sensation as a form of recreation. Recruits from this month will be signing on with the carnival between Day 8 and Day 11 on the season calendar. 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!

Comments

Victor Nikiforov | Yuri!!! On Ice | New Recruit

[genice]

Mirror, Mirror

He was having a stirring conversation with his reflection, if stirring was the right word for listening to insults and returning them with soft snorts of amusement and conversational replies. He really didn't know what kind of technology carnivals used these days, but it was amusing enough, managing to have a reflection of Victor spout such nonsense and frown when Victor himself didn't appear affected.

"I talked with the reflection behind you. Do you know what about?"

Victor held up his hands, showing his reflection his palms and shrugging his shoulders. "Haven't any idea."

The reflection sneered, an expression Victor personally found ill-fitting. "You're going bald," his reflection announced.

Victor blinked, then started chuckling. He heard footsteps rounding the corner, flicking his eyes toward any newcomer to flash them an amused, public-ready smile. "Did you hear?" he said, amusement in his eyes. "I'm going bald."

All the leaves are brown...

( The carnival has been an interesting, unexpected part of his day, but all things told he had a dog to get home to, a flat to make sure was ready, and dinner to make before he stretched, showered, sent another message to Yuri, walked Makkachin for the night, and went to bed. He wanders back to the proper front, leaving as he came, wondering again when this park had planted so many more trees than he remembers seeing before in the past.

He walks on, the pathway that curves before him serpentining between the trees. He knows this is taking too long, that it'd been a simple matter of walking the short distance through the trees to the bright lights and colours (too bright, too vidid, over-real) for the curiosity of a moment; for something to tell Yuri later on that evening. Now he has a strange, growing notion that he's lost in a woods that couldn't possibly exist in St. Petersburg, wearing his coat and his practice sweats underneath, skate-bag still hanging off a shoulder that's starting to ache.

He shifts the bag to the opposite shoulder, coming to a stop when the path he'd been following ends abruptly in front of a tree. A tree, lit up with dozens of small, flowering flames, like a bizzare interpretation of traditions for the new year and trees all lit up with candles. Victor stands there, blinking at this tree, feeling the chill of something that has nothing to do with temperature crawling down his spine. He taps a gloved finger against his lips, narrowing his eyes. )

Hm. ( His finger stills; he sighs, closing his eyes. ) This won't do.

wildcard

( Ask me to write up a custom starter, or hit me with one of your own! )

just be glad it isn't the angry tree

[atouts]

[ It isn't really Childermass's job to keep track of who enters, who leaves, and, inevitably, who appears to be stuck, but when he has no other reason to be prowling beyond the boundaries of the carnival itself, what else is there to do? So where Yuri was alone with the tree only a moment ago, he'll suddenly find company. No sound is made, no dirt or leaves shifting under boots to announce his approach.

He's just there. It's a thing. In any case, he's leaning against a different tree entirely — a more normal one — and watching Yuri with a bored look, arms folded, generally maintaining a lazy kind of posture where he leans, this man in black and white somewhat old-fashioned clothing and... feathers? Or perhaps they're only very fluffy sideburns, but who can really tell in this light? ]

Having a little trouble? [ He pauses for a second or two, head tilting slightly to one side, curiously. ] Surely not with the tree.

[ It's an odd tree, sure, but one of the least volatile ones, being on fire aside. ]

mirrors!

[hurtcomfort]

Cole's lost as well. And, based on the fact that he looks like he's a few seconds away from a panic attack, he's not doing so well. A pair of fleshy pink animal ears, pushed down to the side of his head by his hat twitch every few seconds.

When Victor speaks to him, he pauses. A few seconds pass before oh, wait, he's speaking to him? Right, that makes sense, people could see him now, he needed to remember that. There's another few seconds before he remembers he needs to address what Victor said and okay, he mentioned he was going bald.

"I'm sorry?" Cole tentatively responds, obviously confused. What do you say to that? "I don't think I can do anything about that..."

Renzou Shima | Blue Exorcist | New recruit

[worldlyafflictions]

A. Wismuth Effect
[It's convenient for the Carnival that their current proximity to Wismuth means that everything is even more dazzling and shiny and attractive to the potential recruits that don't come from that world. Shima doesn't normally consider himself particularly interested in the features of a carnival, especially when there's no date involved, but he still finds himself wandering everywhere open to guests (for now), taking in all the sights and sounds, and especially the smells of food. The cookhouse is like a beacon, and the selection--themed to be attractive to their Wismuth hosts--is colorful and cute. Shima ends up getting himself a bag of adorable cheese-puff pastries, seating himself at an outdoor bench to eat them with alternatingly stunned or ecstatic expressions. These are probably the most delicious things he's ever eaten??]

Uwaaah, these are so goood! I wish I could share 'em with a cute girl~♥

[Answer his prayer? Or dash his dreams.]


B. Mirror Maze
[It's not that Shima is bad at self-examination--he's actually pretty proud of how well he feels he knows himself, in fact--but that doesn't mean that he likes to do it recreationally when he's otherwise in a good mood. So when his reflections start taking a life of their own as he makes his way through the maze he is understandably wary, and not just because it could be demons. At the first mocking grin and "you're really heartless compared to the others," and "gets lonely, doesn't it?" he smiles back his reflexively guileless smile and immediately turns around to leave. Nope. No thank you!]

Jeez, how do ya get out? Where's the option ta skip back to the start?

[But just because he's not a particular fan of being taunted himself doesn't mean that, whenever he does manage to get back out, he won't hang around the edges of the maze to listen curiously to what it has to say about anyone else trying to make their way through...]


C. Wildcard (or Employees Only)
[He's totally not supposed to be poking around here.]

Wildcards welcome

((ooc: stealthmote or Motefloat#5787 if you'd like to chat.))

C - the "there are no sexy nurses in the med tent now go away" option

[reflash]

[Yukio may be a genius when it comes to what's expected of an Exorcist, but he's not used to manning a first aid tent at a busy carnival. He's not bad at it, of course, but he'd rather be working on something other than putting bandages on skinned knees and reassuring parents of dehydrated or sunburnt ten year olds.

They're understaffed, which means that when Shima comes in to the tent for whatever small injury he managed to acquire, any of his dreams of sexy nurses will be dashed by the reality of a familiar Exorcist.

Yukio looks up from the clipboard he's writing on with a polite smile that instantly vanishes when he sees who exactly just walked in.]

Are you lost?

[Currently, Yukio's changes are minimal, just the faint, slightly iridescent discoloration of a fae mark on his face, covering the skin around his eyes with a blue pattern like spreading flames.]

A - Second image is...closer to her look, the first one is the only one I had w. changes tho oops

[soft_focus]

[[OOC - As a note, Reira has basic empathy! So she can pick up on most emotions near her, unless you'd rather opt out of that somehow!]]

[This is, without a doubt, Not what Shima was talking about.

Unfortunately for him however, Reira is very much enamored by the idea of Good Food (there's so many new foods she hasn't tried yet after all!) which is exactly why a seven year old is answering him.

Beneath that glamor of hers, she seems to be a bit rock covered...but otherwise yep, just a tiny child. A tiny child who is very interested in those cheese-puffs-]

....Does that mean I can have some? [SHARING MEANS SHE GETS SWEET FOODS, YES?]

give her all your bread shima

[exaomori]

[Shura isn't entirely confident that she's not experiencing some kind of hyper-realistic hallucination, wandering around this carnival when she should have been on her way to an important meeting. If this was a hallucination, though, then why would she be running into someone like Shima? Especially a Shima who was being his usual self and talking about cute girls like this?? She'll speak as she approaches the bench from the side, hand on her hip. Maybe she was playing into the delusion, maybe she was talking to the real Shima who was caught up in the same apparent mess she was. In the end, she'd rather make sure that he wasn't in more trouble than he could handle, just in case.]

Y'know, saying that kinda stuff out loud isn't going to attract a cute girl.

[Not the sane kind, at least. Obviously, she doesn't count herself as a cute girl, even if she still has that stupid fan service uniform on.]

A

[superwaifu]

[Hatoko has no problem enjoying the scenery without an apparent care in the world. The vibrancy of the environment is a true spectacle! It would be a shame not to experience something so uniquely breathtaking.

Over there, on the hand, sits an ordinary boy. Easily overlooked if not for the look of sugar-induced ecstasy on his face with every bite. Edging closer for a better look at the cause of this reaction, she overhears his comment and immediately begins to blush.]

W-was that compliment for me?

[He had to have known Hatoko was hovering just off to the side (otherwise, he is just sitting around talking to himself with sort of endearingly weird).]

A; PEACH PUFFS

[flashover]

[how about dashing his dreams?

Rin only caught sight of Shima as he was walking out of the cookhouse. He quickly excuses himself from his work, washes his hands, and rushes out the door]

Shiiiiimmaaaa~! You're back!!

[The voice is undoubtedly Rin's, but the person waving enthusiastically at Shima looks... a bit odd. He also has a small pair of bat-like wings, far too small to fly with, that are covered in velvety-fur on the top and apparently made of movable labradorite stone underneath. He takes a seat next to Shima and grins] Maaaa, those are good huh? Recipe is Hinawa-san's, but the decoration was my idea!

Rip van Winkle | Hellsing | New Recruit

[singinghuntress]

Mirror,Mirror

At first, the mirrors were entertaining and the maze kept Rip guessing just which way she was supposed to go. However, her amusement started to disappear once her reflection started talking to her.

"You know you don't haf a pray, right~? Your mission vill fail."

For the most part, Rip was ignoring the taunting as they tried to pick at her insecurities. And she seemed to be doing fine at it... until they mentioned her never being able to measure up. That taunt made her freeze before she twirled around to punch the mirror as it laughed at her.


Gamer's Circle

"Zee? This game isn't so hard."

She was standing at the carnival dart game, grinning as she tossed a dart at one of the few balloons still on the board. By now, Rip was reveling in just how easy some of these games were to her! At least, any of the games that required any type of sharpshooting anyway. Rip took pride in her aim and it showed with her little collection of prizes surrounding her feet.

As she won another stuffed animal, she was humming and practically dancing around with her prizes in childish glee! It's been so long since she's had this kind of fun that she hoped that it would last for a while longer...



Wild Card!

[Rip can possibly be found all around the carnival, possibly even poking into places she shouldn't and humming as she explores. Feel free to throw whatever prompts you want at her?]

Mirror, Mirror

[prazerbutterfly]

It's the sound of voices that draws his attention as he takes a shortcut through the mirror maze with his abilities. He steps lightly until he just suddenly doesn't with his expensive shoes sounding on the ground to alert the lady to his presence. He could startle her but that would be rather rude. Any other person, especially a male, and he would've just allowed it to happen.

He should stop her from breaking glass but he doesn't. He could be quick enough to catch her fist but if she breaks something worth incurring debt it was more fodder for a contract with the Ringmaster. He whistles softly at such aggression and will chuckle lightly under his breath.

"Now, now. That's no way to treat a mirror. Haven't you heard of seven years of bad luck?" Or a year and a day of contract for breaking a fae's things.

Gamer's Circle

[magicsprice]

"You realize they're lulling you into a sense of security."

The comment was made almost nonchalantly by the slight man standing off to her side. He didn't bother craning his neck to look up at her, instead his gaze rested more on her collection of prizes. Proof of her ability, true...but also proof that she was getting close to being suckered into overextending herself. Once so overextended, it would be too late. If it wasn't too late for her already. He knew all too well how places akin to this worked in getting employees.

Though he had to admit, if only to himself, he was curious to see if she would heed the warning or reject it as most tended to do in his experience. Confidence was the downfall of many. He'd even suffered at the hand of it in his life, and seen too many others fall prey to it.

Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin | Once Upon a Time| New Recruit

[magicsprice]

Center Stage/CookHouse

Visiting the cookhouse was Gold's first order of business once he'd gotten inside the front gates. If he was going to spend any amount of time here, it was always best if you knew what the quality of the food to be found was. Depending on how things went during his stay here, it might not actually matter, but there was the possibility he might end up needing to eat with others here after all.

To his relief and pleasure, it was actually decent and he gave the chef his compliments before wandering away toward the center stage area to watch the acts there for a time.


Menagerie

[If desired, he can be encountered sans tour guide, because he could have easily and purposely given them the slip, if desired to meet him solo while observing the animals, feel free to assume as such. Also employees, feel free to chide him for doing so if desired.]

The games and rides held no real attraction for him, thus his reason for paying the guide his fee to be brought through the area where the animals were kept. He was curious as to how they were kept and were treated when not being used in their shows. One could learn plenty from observing how people treated their inhuman co-workers. He found it rather interesting he had to admit. It made him more curious to meet the one in charge of the circus itself.

wildcard

[Hit me up with a starter prompt of your own if you like, or we could plot out a custom one.]

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki personally loved the cookhouse but during performance week he spent little time there. It was on stage in one of the side tents, with all eyes on him, where he spent most of this evening time. There was much to offer but when he performed and word of mouth got around Gold would find lots of seats taken to see the magicians do their acts. It was the wonder of magic and what both had to offer that led crowds to come see them.

Strange had his literal smoke and mirrors. Tyki had his tricks. He was far more engaging with the audience with his performance starting with a golden light bathed over a water tank with no body within it. It's then that he'd descend from the ceiling in a sky walk over the audience and with his 'magic' he'd walk down from the air to the stage as if he was descending a flight of stairs.

From there he'd take to that water tank after engaging the audience with a warning that often hyped the crowd, usually about how long he could hold his breath. Bound and restrained he'd enter upside down and with small struggles he'd build that tension to the last minute before escaping in a grand reveal on top of the water tank itself.

He's soaking wet and wiping himself down with a towel as he bows to the audience. He catered to both those that came for the edge of their seat experience and his good looks while dripping wet. There was no real trick, no curtain thrown over the tank, no escape hatch. It was only those that could see his magic being performed that could see the trick.

menagerie!

[kingsroads]

If Gold sat through the show, then he saw Strange's act. It was a hodge-podge of magic consisting of the man turning into smoke, entering and exiting through mirrors, sending jets of fire that stopped just short of the audience, and turning feathers into birds that flew around the tent. Needless to say, it's a bit of a contrast comparing the remarkably put together man who was in the middle of the ring with the giant mess of a man that shuts one of the cages right as Gold approaches, holding a few feathers.

Strange's hair is messy, his shirt is dirty, and his shoes are scuffed. His attire is vaguely Regency era but looks like it could use a solid ironing. He looks at the feathers for a moment, grinning like a madman, before that peripheral vision kicks in and wait a moment, someone else is there. Strange turns and looks over at Gold, blatantly confused. It's an odd sight: it's hard to spot much emotion behind the mirrored covering of Strange's eyes. His mouth seems to be doing most of the work, as he makes an almost comical frown.

"Who the devil are you?"

And what exactly are you doing here?

shura kirigakure | blue exorcist | new recruit

[exaomori]

a - stupid forests

[At first, Shura thought she must be hallucinating. Too much stress from the day or so, obviously. She thought she had a pretty good grip on her sanity, but maybe she was overestimating herself? After taking in some of the sights, Shura changed her mind. This was the work of something not human, and she flat out does not have time for this.

Getting out is a lot more difficult than getting in. Shura knows this. But there's a trick to this somehow, somewhere, and the forest is as good as any place to start looking for the way out. But just what kind of forest was this?? A jacked up one with trees that had fruit that was probably radioactive from the way it glows. Touching it is probably dangerous, but night is falling and Shura didn't exactly come with a flashlight. She had to get something to light the way if she didn't want to try camping out in the middle of a strange forest.]

This place... Coulda come with a guide or something, jeez.

[So maybe she is stressed out enough to talk to herself out loud as she kicks at the ground. What a pain!]

b - sneaking around

[The big show of the evening started about twenty minutes ago, but Shura's not interested in that. It's the perfect time for some snooping; around the Big Top, near Gamer's Circle, near anywhere that she people shouldn't be, including employee's quarters. She has to get information somehow, after all, and how better to do that than sniffing around?

Not getting caught would be ideal, but she has an excuse when she attracts someone's attention.]

Ahh~ I'm sorry, I was just looking for the restroom and got a little lost. Please don't be mad ♥

[no one knows her here, right?? It's easier to get away with the cute and coy act when she's around strangers.]

A | heads up- Gon is VERY change heavy-a picture links from 'changes' on his info...

[betheman]

[[...But a few additions happened recently, so I'll describe m here. TAG IS JUST GONNA GET KINDA PROSEY AS SUCH...]]

[If a guide is what Shura seeks, then a guide is what she shall receive. To a point, at least. The massive taur-like beast coming slowly from behind at a walk is perhaps nine foot-and aside from being fairly fur and plant covered, the canid-faced beast bears a set of near antler-like horns, nearly hidden in his mane.

Naturally, that means that when he speaks, it'll probably not be the horns that draw attention. If anything specific stands out, it would probably be either the left arm-replaced, it seems, by a robotic one-or his right eye-scared, and solid silver, in contrast to his other one.

He seems in relatively good, or at least calm spirits however, as he greets the other.] I, the man Gongenzaka, see you have wandered into our grounds, [He remarks, sounding quite like he would fit in with an old samurai film as one of the overly humble, overly traditional sorts. In line with such tradition, he gives a short bow of sorts in fact.]

....Or perhaps, you have been seeking to leave, instead?

napstablook | undertale | new recruit

[blooktunes]

a - gamer's circle

[This. This right here is why Napstablook never leaves their house.

Even going for a walk was dangerous, because it meant they risked running into other people. Other people who might try to talk to them or something. Slipping off to the Ruins was usually a safe bet if they needed to get out for a while, but today they must have gotten a bit turned around. Somehow, they've wandered into the forest, which seemed much bigger than usual, floating around for quite a while before finally emerging to find theirself at...some kind of...festival? With big crowds of strange looking people and bright lights and huge scary looking rides and loud noises and??

Okay, so they must have gotten REALLY turned around. The setting is strange enough on its own, as is the sight of more creatures in one place than they've seen in...maybe ever. But worst of all? Some of those creatures are pushy carnival barkers, and they're trying to talk to them.]

Oh, no...I was just looking...I don't want to play...no, I mean, I'm sure it's a fun game, I didn't mean, to, umm...sorry, I just...I wouldn't be any good at it, anyway, so...no...sorry...I just...I should...go......sorry.........

[They're so flustered over trying to extract theirself from this interaction that they aren't looking where they're backing up. Hopefully YOU are, or you're about to have a panicked ghost phase right through you.]


b - other/wildcard

[Wherever you were going, you suddenly find your path forward blocked by...a spooky ghost!! Well, it looks more like a pillow with a face, but it's actually a ghost. A ghost that is just, really overwhelmed right now and has decided to deal with the situation by simply laying on the ground very still and pretending they don't exist in the hopes that this will all magically go away by the time they open their eyes. Who knows! It might work!!!

In any case, they're in your way now. Deal with it.]

B - I'm so sorry Napstablook-

[soft_focus]

[Empath that Reira is, one would think that the overwhelmingly obvious anxiety Napstablook emits to regular people would get her to clue in that perhaps, perhaps, it could be best to leave the Spooky Ghost Pillow Thing alone. Unfortunately that is not what Reira does at all-though in her defense, it's less out of anything malicious and more because she's a bit worried.

The tiny half-rock-skinned seven year old stoops down right there, hands on her knees as she holds said knees close to peer at the ghost closing his eyes. And she stares.

And stares.

..And stares.

...

...She isn't going away...]

....umnnnnnh....

[Empathy would be a lot easier to work with if it told her Why people are Feeling Things.] ...why are you on the ground...?

Guzma | Pokemon Moon | New Recruit

[beatsyoudown]

Trying to Leaf

[Not only had the carnival turned out to be just as lame as he'd anticipated, but it was also... weird. And not in a way that made it any more interesting; it was more the sort of thing that made it abundantly clear he should probably get the fuck out of there as soon as possible. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, exactly, was wrong-- though the weird smoke people running the games were a pretty big hint-- but there was just an atmosphere, an undeniable sensation of things just being wrong. While Guzma doesn't exactly pride himself on being the sensible type, sometimes it really is best to beat a retreat.

Except... he can't. He can't find the path he followed to find the carnival in the first place, nor can he find anything else familiar in the woods outside, either. In fact, the further he wanders, the weirder things seem to be getting; the trees are starting to change, to take odd new shapes and harbor weird, sometimes scary-looking fruits, and then there's one that's on fire, and Guzma decides there's no shame in running from fire, right?

Except that it's dark, and he's not really looking where he's going, and there are thick roots crisscrossing the forest floor in front of him-- some of which slam into his face when he inevitably trips and falls, bloodying his nose.]

Shit!

Wildcard

[He wandered around the carnival for a while before this, not really doing much; he doesn't have the money to play games or anything, nor really the interest, and the house of mirrors sounds like a Bad Time. Feel free to assume you ran into him wherever!]

LEAVES ERRYWHERE

[betheman]

[Tromp. Tromp. Tromp.

Footsteps thud, and come ever closer through the darkness, and from not far off, a shadow begins to loom. Something glows near the top-like eyes perhaps, no, EXACTLY like eyes, and the closer the shape comes, the more it is revealed to absolutely not be a tree. Maybe...Grass type, or something, but this?

Nine foot tall, with menacing fangs, horns peering through the bush of a mane that goes from head down into long tail, and-]

Auh- [And they pause, stooping low.] Hmmm, so this is what the commotion was..! Are you particularly injured, sir?

[what the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck-]

Jinx | League of Legends (Star Guardian AU) | New Recruit

[everybodypanic]

Gamer's Circle

Jinx liked guns.

She liked guns a lot.

So it was absolutely no surprise that she kept hovering about that part of Gamer's Circle. That game with the water guns, and the shooting gallery both saw a repeat customer in Jinx. She was pretty good at it, for the most part. And not to mention, the carnival itself was pretty cool. Why couldn't Lux and the rest of the team have gone on this sort of trip instead of some lame camping trip? This would've been such a better opportunity for team bonding, and stuff.

In any case, Jinx started to look for new games once she had gotten her fill of shooting. Where to go next...

Her two familiars, Shiro and Kuro were following close by, with Kuro being the more talkative one. Though only Jinx could really understand them, their voices soundedlike unintelligible squeaks to everyone else.

The trio stopped by a Test of Strength.

"Nah, looks boring."

Kuro responds, and whatever it said managed to thoroughly annoy Jinx.

"Oh yeah?! I'll show you, you stupid little..."

Jinx grabbed the hammer and readied herself. Though it looked like she was struggling just to lift and hold the damn thing.

"N-No problem, I got this."

She totally didn't.



[Wildcard]

[Give me whatever set-up you'd like and I'll follow up!]

[I'll also respond to either prompt in prose or action. Whatever works for you!]

GAMER'S CIRCLE...

[betheman]

[[OOC - There's an image link through his info page, but it's somewhat inaccurate at the moment-his left arm is all robotic now.... head looks like this though.]]

At this point, (fortunately enough) any knowledge/odd similarities between Jinx's tiny companions and whatever nonsense will occur in Wismuth, is quite Unknown. Star Guardians? What are Those?? It's a Mystery-what isn't a mystery however, is that Gongenzaka is busy at work-the 9 foot centaur-thing is going about his patrol just as always, and for the most part nothing seems to be out of place.

At least until he's passing the Test of Strength. "AUH-!"

He's immediately reaching out with one hand to try and prevent some Catastrophe. "C-CAREFUL..!!"

Ezio Auditore da Firenze | Assassin's Creed II | Newcomer

[beneful]

A. From a Certain Point of View...

It's been said before-- often by the young man himself-- that Ezio Auditore is one of the fastest climbers in all of Firenze. Even before his training as an Assassin, the great city's numerous towers and cathedrals posed little challenge to him, and he grew up knowing Firenze's rooftops nearly as well as it's streets. It's hard for him to even imagine a structure that he could not climb.

Then again, Ezio Auditore has also never encountered the likes of a ferris wheel before.

When traveling somewhere new, it's second nature for him to seek out the highest vantage point that he can in order to get a better idea of the lay of the land. The massive circular structure is easily one of the tallest things here, and thus had immediately drawn his attention. Standing at the base of it, though, all he can do is boggle at it. Such a gigantic object maintaining motion like that... it turns and turns, as wheels tend to do, but this one seems to be doing that without the likes of water or wind to power it. If only Leonardo were here to see this; he'd likely wet himself with excitement.

"So... It is for entertainment, then?" the assassin asks the nearest person, bemused.

Alternatively, a few minutes later, you may find yourself actually on the ride in the same car as this hooded weirdo. He's a bit restless once the thing starts moving, but otherwise he's basically silent up until the compartment reaches the highest point on the wheel. When the ride pauses for a bit to allow the patrons to enjoy the view, he stirs.

"Bene. This should be high enough..."

Annnnd now the hooded weirdo is trying to climb out of the compartment and up onto the roof of it.

B. Trying to Leaf (Coco Strikes Back)

"Cazzo!"

That's the sound an Italian Assassin makes when he very narrowly avoids being crushed by the vicious blows of a gigantic murderous palm tree.

Ezio had tired of the otherworldly charms of the carnival in due time, and had thought to make his exit from this place back through the woods. As it turns out, this was the worst possible route he could have taken, unaware as he was that he would be treading right through the lair of the infamous Coco. A deft dodge-roll had taken him out of the path of a full-force wood hammer attack from the exeggutor (the impact of which blows dirt and moss and twigs up into the air from a crater centered exactly where he was standing just moments before), and at first he assumes he just evaded a regular old falling tree.

It's when the Pokemon lifts it's head-- or several heads, as it were, numerous sets of eyes all glittering with malice-- that Ezio realizes that there is something much more sinister afoot here.

"What kind of devilry is this!?" he exclaims incredulously, exasperatedly, to no one in particular. Like, that sure is a gigantic walking tree with multiple faces!! And-- is he seeing things? Is that a tail? He's had more than he can take of this bizarre fever dream of a carnival. He draws the blade at his hip and takes up a combat stance, ready to attack.

If someone could stop him before he tries to skewer the Ringmaster's pet, that would be real nice.

a!

[primadovea]

Congrats Ezio. You are being judged to hell and back by a thirteen year old girl.

Mint had been sitting calmly in the ferris wheel, watching it as it rises. As Ezio starts to climb out of the compartment, she realizes that the calm's just about going to end and it's going to end faster than she expected.

"It's only stopping for a short time, you're going to fall if you climb out!"

Well, he's probably going to fall anyway, but that's neither here nor there.

Gamzee Makara | Homestuck | new recruit

[mirthful]

admission fees.

Mother fuck yeah, motherfucker. I'm sure as all shit wanting to get my game on under those sweet rainbowed hoods. The Dark Carnival has up and called its motherfuckin' messiah into its mirth-laden tits all unexpected being, but that's alright. I'm down with this.

[In order to pay the carny at the ticket booth, Gamzee pulls out his sylladex. The space behind him is suddenly filled with multicolored cards, flashing and moving about at random. He takes a moment to acknowledge their beauty.

What does he need for a ticket again? Anything? What does he even still have in his deck?

The troll reaches for a card, reaches into the card, and pulls out a single bicycle horn. With a goofy grin, he honks it at the attendant.]

That's a blissful siren right there, right? Figure that's as good as coin for any motherfucker.

gamer's circle.

[As much as Gamzee's world in SGRUB had featured a carnival theme, it hadn't actually had any legitimate games in it. (And it if did, the troll had never noticed them.) He wouldn't have played by the rules anyway - much like he isn't doing now.

The game he's standing in front of involves shooting water into a certain spot to get a figure to move, but he's too busy trying to see if he can shoot it through the ghostly creature running the booth. Unfortunately for him, the gun is attached in such a way that it's difficult to aim beyond the designated board.

That needs to be rectified.

Anyone passing by the station will find a clown-faced troll trying to pry the squirt gun free with all his might, yellow nails digging into the plastic.] Come. The motherfuck. Off!

tunnel of "love".

[There's a clown in the boat. A teenaged, grey-skinned, clown with bright orange horns on his head and three long scars visible through the paint on his face.

He's waiting patiently for someone to get in next to him, an eerie smile stretching from ear to ear.]

GAMER'S CIRCLE

[betheman]

[Gongenzaka, (un?)fortunately, was notified about the struggles of the troll by another patron-something about loud cursing and clawing at squirt guns just Scares people, apparently. It means that the patrol-man is coming up from behind Gamzee with a low, and growling voice, looming overhead with crossed arms...

...Not to mention the hope that actually does something, but as it is.]

Release that now, sir, [he warns, the leaves of his mane rustling. It this intimidating? One would hope so, but quite possibly Not, given who he speaks to. There are certainly factors to hopefully help-the chief of them being that the great, bear-horse bodied taur is about 9 feet tall. 9 feet, with doubled fangs and a shadowy mask, his horns poking just a touch above the leaves that cover his pale fur.

His left arm also seems to be robotic, so. Who knows what that could do. Regardless....He's waiting for the other's response. Patiently. You've already got a small laundry list of things to pay debt to the Ringmaster for going, buddy.]

Dandelion | Witcher 3

[recapping]

gamers circle
If he's going to play these games, then Dandelion's going to engage in some good old fashioned trash talk. He's standing in front of a game of darts, where a dart board is set up a few feet away from the front of the stall. The cinder sprite doesn't seem at all receptive to Dandelion's bragging but, then again, it's not for the cinder sprite is it? No, it's for the audience he's inevitably going to attract because he is loud and obnoxious and his outfit is ostentatious as fuck.

"I have traveled with the famous witcher Geralt of Rivia, you know. I've picked up a few tricks along the way! Watch and learn!" With a flourish, he turns back to the dart board and tosses the dart.

The dart lands a good foot away from the board, sticking out of the back wall of the tent. "T-That was just a bad throw!" he quickly clarifies, as he picks up the second dart. "I haven't done this in years, these things take a while to warm back up."

tunnel of love
Grownass man in his forties, waiting patiently outside the tunnel of love, with a triumphant little smile on his face. Thank you, whoever runs the carnival! You truly know what's best for paying customers, especially those of the hopeless romantic sort of type. A place to celebrate love, and hopefully make out with someone, and serve as an inspiration for future poems and ballads, while also making out with someone. A shrine to Freya herself! And he can hopefully make out with someone! How perfect!

Except for the fact that there aren't really many women around here, are there. Or if there are, it's Dandelion's shitty luck that none of them are actually approaching. He's blatantly loitering near the entrance, letting people go by with a "No, you go ahead" or an "Actually, I'm waiting for someone." Middle aged man, teenage girl, weird technicolor person that Dandelion isn't even going to bother flirting with. He's let five or so people go ahead of him before Dandelion sighs.

Turning to whoever's next to him, he complains slightly. "Is it always like this or am I just cursed?"

( ooc: voicetesting as hell, plz ignore my utter lack of icons )

gamers circle

[whatremained]

And hey, Renfew likes audiences. He isn't usually a part of audiences but when one forms, it's hard not to wriggle his way to the front of it just to see what people are gawking at (sometimes it's nice to be the gawker rather than the gawkee, after all). As it turns out, it's just a garishly dressed man with poor aim, but he won't let that get him down.

"I'm not sure picking up a few tricks you never use counts as picking them up, my friend," he calls out, not really able to stop himself from throwing a gibe from the peanut's gallery off to the side over here.

It's said in good humor, mind, not truly meant to be cruel, but that's for the person on the other end to ultimately decide, now isn't it?

Jill Stingray | VA-11 HALL-A | New Recruit

[whydogs]

[Gamer's Circle into Cookhouse]

[Food, Jill needed some food.

Directions had told her where she needed to go, which meant passing through all the attractions at Gamer's Circle.

The didn't seem too interested in the games themselves, though that wasn't entirely the case.

She'd occasionally stop by and spectate as others actually participated in the games themselves, watching as they lost more often than won.

The workers manning the games looked to get her to join in, too. To which Jill responded with:]

No thanks, I'm just gonna get some food and be on my way.

[... Or she could go a round of balloon-popping.]


[Wildcard-ish]

[Alright then. She's about had enough. This place is trippy and all, but she has a job to get back to and a paycheck to earn.

Rent isn't going to pay itself.

Why can't rent ever pay itself.

So Jill is practically walking all over the carnival grounds, asking and stopping anybody willing to spare a few moments.]

Hey.

Can you point me to the nearest magical exit or whatever? Boss is going to be mad at me if I'm late like this.

Gamer's Circle... ish

[dressedtothe]

[Well, if the human doesn't want to play a game, who's he to tell her she has to? After all, getting people to play games isn't his job in any way shape or form. Compared to some of the other Carnival staff, 9S is relatively unchanged, with only cat eyes and chicken feathers in his hair.

But he is wearing the stupid shirt Lambert bought him.]

I can bring you to the Cookhouse, if you want. It's better than the concessions.

ike | fire emblem: path of radiance

[with_us]

mirror maze
Ike has never been in a mirror maze before, but after five minutes in this one, he can safely conclude that he does not like them.

The distorted reflections give the place a nightmarish feel, and then it's more than just that -- his own reflections seem to be sneering back, moving out of sync with him, and it's more than just a little unsettling. But Ike holds fast, because he's never gotten anywhere by panicking under pressure.

It's the whispers that hook into his mind and don't let go, someone else's words in his own voice. Is all there is? No challenge...no resistance?

He feels awkward with a sword, like he's missing a hand, and he does indeed feel the powerful urge to hit something, even if it's just a mirror. He seriously considers punching one. He thinks he could break a mirror with his fist.

"Alright, that's enough!"

tunnel of "love"
This really isn't the sort of thing Ike's into -- actually, he thinks Mist might like it -- but he'll go along with it, even if in blunt confusion. He's not really sure what the point of it is; there's nothing all that entertaining about sitting on a boat in the dark. And then the kraken slithers a tentacle over the boat, and Ike looks down at it with a blank frown.

"Hm."

WUV

[steadydollypegs]

"Oi, George!"

On the edge of the water, a person is balancing on their heels and hissing at, presumably, the kraken invading the boat. Who they have dubbed 'George', despite Doll not knowing if that's actually the kraken's name or not.

"Stop botherin' 'im, he's alone!" There's a fish in their outstretched hand, clearly trying to divert attention to the food and away from the boats.

lina inverse | slayers

[dragonswag]

gamer's circle
Games like this were made to be cheated, so if you think about it, it's almost like cheating if you don't cheat. What's the fun in winning fair and square, anyway? It's the winning that's fun. Which is why Lina is playing with the water guns, using her magic to (only sort of subtly) guide the jets to their targets with perfect accuracy. A few little victory bells go off, and Lina pumps a fist.

"Alright, hand it over! I want the big fluffy bunny up top." Lina grins, extremely rudely. Honestly, they don't even have to trick her into debt. She's greedy enough as it is. "What, you're going to be sore losers now?"

trying to leaf
Lina is one hundred percent about adventure and magic and mysterious traveling carnivals, but she is absolutely ZERO percent about being trapped in a place she can't leave when she pleases. Lina's wandered through enough forests to know how to get her bearings in unfamiliar landscape, but nothing's working -- not even magical methods. She keeps weaving her way through increasingly weird-looking foliage that somehow keeps depositing her along the periphery of the carnival no matter what she does, and after about an hour of it she's really starting to lose patience.

"Oh, come on!" The impotent frustration in her voice is palpable. Maybe not so impotent, because a little ball of flame is starting to glow in one cupped hand, although her voice is reaching impressive new heights of whininess. "Who puts a labyrinth enchantment on a forest like this? What is with all these trees? My feet are tired and I want to go home!"

tunnel of "love"
Lina Inverse, a sucker for cheesy romantic rides?? NEVER. Okay, so maybe she is just a tiny bit, but what girl doesn't love a little romance? That's her firm defense to whoever is in the boat with her, although if you're looking particularly princely (or like you have a lot of money) she might even be giving you the big ol' doe eyes. She would like the cave more if it glittered with actual gold, but either way, it's probably going okay even with Lina for a ride partner, right up until...the kraken.

Lina Inverse is a household name, in that in most households it's a curse. Lina Inverse has faced down multiple dark lords and demons and somehow come out the other end alive. Lina Inverse never says die.

Lina Inverse does, however, scramble all the way up the opposite edge of the boat shrieking when a tentacle slithers up out of the water. "What is that thing? Get it out get it out get it out!"

The glimmer of magic in her hands suggests she might be about to blast it out of the boat herself if no one else does anything.

trying to leaf!

[anti_nonsense]

"Fae do that. That's who," comes a flat-toned yet youthful voice.

Conveniently walking through the same area of forest is Rita, a teenager sporting a lion-like tail and a large pair of red-black wings. A perceptive eye might notice that some portions of feather are missing, as if cut away haphazardly. She wears a tunic with various tools shoved into its many pockets, and a pair of tinted goggles on her head.

Rita folds her arms, looking the other girl (and her fireball) up and down with a judgmental expression. "Blasting your way out won't work, by the way."