ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2018-01-05 10:28 am
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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: WISMUTH

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!
exaomori: (🐍 38)

[personal profile] exaomori 2018-01-07 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[Well, if he paid for it, it couldn't have too horrific consequences. So fine, Shura will take a bite and--

holy crap these are really good? Her eyes widen as the filling coats her mouth with its cheesy goodness. When was the last time she had something that tasted this good? Rin's cooking was good, yeah, but he didn't make things like this??
]

They aren't bad, yeah.

[Just going to casually reach for another one as soon as she finishes the first one. what is asking for permission to take a second one?]

Gotta ask, how did you end up here?

[just in case this really was some kind of illuminati trick...]
atouts: (039; five of pentacles)

[personal profile] atouts 2018-01-07 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It could all just be a dream, Victor. ]

From Russia, hm? Then you really are a long way from home... [ About as far away as he is from England, himself. Childermass pushes away from the tree he'd been leaning against and steps closer, further into the light the tree is casting on the woods around them.

The look he gives Victor is grim as he gets closer, though seeing how unexpressive the man is all together, that doesn't exactly mean anything good or bad.
] You've found yourself in a faerie carnival, I'm afraid. They aren't as easy to walk back out of as they are to walk into. Tell me, did you pay for your entry? Or perhaps pick up anything that wasn't yours?
genice: (consider | my next move)

[personal profile] genice 2018-01-07 07:28 pm (UTC)(link)
( If anything, having someone make half the statements this man has made while looking serious, for a given understanding of serious, inclines Victor to be as serious. Even if he's talking about faerie carnivals. One of Yuri's nicknames flashes through the back of his mind: The Russian Fairy. He holds back a smile, figuring if this is a dream, or a jest, it might as well be Yuri Plisetsky's temperament being likened to the fae of folktales he grew up with.

Nonsensical thoughts. His eyes do a gentle sweet of the area, but there's no glint of cameras, no one else he sees in a casual glance. His gaze settles on his conversational partner.
)

I paid in rubles. ( For an entry fee. ) Ah, for picking things up, not so much. How about being handed things? ( Somewhat forcibly being handed things in spite of attempts to refuse them, considering he only found carnival games interesting when he was with either one of the Yuri's. )
hurtcomfort: (listening to things)

[personal profile] hurtcomfort 2018-01-07 07:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Works for Cole! He follows Victor like a shadow, watching the man and taking whatever turns or twists Victor takes in an attempt to get out of the maze.

"Are you visiting? Or are you new?"

Or, is he visiting and will become new? Cole knew of a few people who showed up at the carnival only to find themselves signing on later. That latter is a possibility here.
worldlyafflictions: (ch055pg30p2)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Sweats a little]

I'm just here on my own if that's what you're worried about? Ah. The world's going nuts at home so I thought it'd be a good time ta take a breather!
Edited 2018-01-07 21:10 (UTC)
worldlyafflictions: (ch015pg43p4)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 09:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shima is absolutely the sort of person who'd talk to himself about cute girls but he's even more the sort of person who'd jump on any opportunity to chat up an actual cute girl if they stop to pay attention to him.]

Of course, you're the cutest girl I've met today!
genice: (listen | is this our realtalk)

[personal profile] genice 2018-01-07 09:25 pm (UTC)(link)
He considers the oddity of the question; did workers run through the attractions during operational hours?  He has no idea, his lifetime of working experience as a competitor leaving him with an idea of the working world around his sport and within the upper echelons of business, but very little about these kinds of scenarios.  It'd make sense to run through for complaints or clean up or whatever other reasons come up in day to day existence.  Wear and year is universal, he thinks.

"Visiting," he says, walking them through a switchback where one of his reflections spends time determinedly picking it's nose.  Victor blinks, glances back toward Cole and his own reflections, unaware that in short order he should be saying new. "Have you been working for the carnival for long?"

He assumes that the meaning behind along if Victor's new, at least.
reflash: (love lemon trees!)

[personal profile] reflash 2018-01-07 09:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[Shima, he's been trying to get you out of his hair for like, months now. He doesn't get where you're coming from.]

That's right.

[Go away.]
flashover: (080)

A; PEACH PUFFS

[personal profile] flashover 2018-01-07 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[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!
exaomori: (🐍 10)

[personal profile] exaomori 2018-01-07 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[this does not reassure shura]

Oh~ Ya make it sound like you've been here before!
worldlyafflictions: (ch051pg08p4)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh boy, is this a set back?]

Haaah... The way you were talking at home, I thought ya'd finally come ta your decision. Not that I'd blame ya for wanting ta hide out for a while instead.
reflash: (*crushes my emotions w/ my bare hands*)

[personal profile] reflash 2018-01-07 10:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't recall any conversation that would have given you the impression I wanted anything to do with you. [It's a timeline thing, isn't it? Shima must be from later, not earlier.]
Edited 2018-01-07 22:56 (UTC)
worldlyafflictions: (ch067pg23p4)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Not ta do with me, obviously... Well, if you're sure though, I guess I can try ta go.
reflash: (*crushes my emotions w/ my bare hands*)

[personal profile] reflash 2018-01-07 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Have you done something that would force you to stay?
worldlyafflictions: (ch089pg14p4)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm ba?ACK--OKUMURA-KUN??

[There's so many startling things going on here that Shima forgets to be wary of Rin, after what just happened at home.]
Edited 2018-01-07 23:24 (UTC)
worldlyafflictions: (ch004pg20p1)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 11:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Not yet! Probably?

[He's not being forced!]
reflash: (sad boy in snow)

[personal profile] reflash 2018-01-07 11:21 pm (UTC)(link)
I suggest you avoid contracting with the fae for frivolous reasons. [He isn't exactly allowed to discourage people from joining, but he can... warn Shima off. The spy's reasons are usually frivolous.]
worldlyafflictions: (fanart010)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-07 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I'm not sure how that works...
flashover: (085 spotty four eyes the horse)

[personal profile] flashover 2018-01-08 12:03 am (UTC)(link)
Huh? Of course it's me!! I don't think anything's changed on me since you left.... oh! Is it the wings? Duuuude. The wings are throwing you off?? Weirdo.

[no, Rin. That's. Not it.]
exaomori: (🐍 10)

[personal profile] exaomori 2018-01-08 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
You're not sure?

[this smile is fake. this smile is dangerous.]

Are you sayin' that because you don't know or because you can't tell me~?
hurtcomfort: (how many sad icons can I have)

[personal profile] hurtcomfort 2018-01-08 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
As Cole walks past the mirror, it shifts to his reflection who looks downright terrified compared to Cole's awkward yet uncomfortable expression on his real face. Victor's asking a question though, so Cole perks up in order to answer.

"About a month? It's odd. Routine for some, things soaring and settling, but I still don't know what to do at times. It's drowning in differences."

Of course, Cole doesn't really know how to do things like 'hold down a job' or 'talk to people for an extended period of time' in the first place, anything he does will be a bit awkward.
exaomori: (Default)

shura kirigakure | blue exorcist | new recruit

[personal profile] exaomori 2018-01-08 12:58 am (UTC)(link)
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.]
prazerbutterfly: (yeah...)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-08 01:18 am (UTC)(link)
It's a tight wrap on purpose with his thumb pressing down lightly to smooth it into place. Once he's sure it is bound in place he'll allow that red to soak through. Even if it doesn't stop the bleeding entirely the pressure might help in the long run.

"Mirrors tell more truths than people that often lie to themselves. They show us who we are on the outside. These mirrors can see more than you want to see."

Or so he's led to believe. There are a lot he didn't like to see about himself and his reflections glance at each other briefly before looking back with their eerie grins. It's to the point that while they are silent they are almost faceless. "But there is truth in that mirrors can be shattered. Reflections can change."
worldlyafflictions: (ch012pg11p1)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-08 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
No?? It's all of it! Jeez... This is like that thing where even when Jennifer Lawrence is covered in blue make-up 'n special effects you can still tell it's her...

[Just, whaaaaat. reaaches to kind of gingerly. poke. him.]
singinghuntress: (you were saying?)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-08 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
It didn't take long for her blood to blossom across the cloth considering how deep some of the cuts were. For the moment, Rip was just going to ignore the pain and the mirrors and just focus on him.

"Already know vho I am!"

Her anger flared as she glared up at him.

"I am zhe Huntress, Rip Van Winkle. First Lieutenant of zhe Verevolf Unit of Millennium! I am zhe best sniper in zhe entire battalion und I never miss."

There was a fierce pride as she said her fill title and loyalty to her unit. And yet, there was a barest hint of a waver to her voice. There was fear, fear that even with all her years of experience and all her planning...she would still fall to the devil she was to lure out.

No.. it was a fate she would defy! She grinned viciously and pulled her hand out of his while her reflections just laughed at her with their own vicious fang filled grins.

"Zhere iz nothing more to me zhan zhat... zo zhey haf to by lying. "

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