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!
prazerbutterfly: (zpost exo - oh?)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-09 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
He kind of liked lowering someone's guard after a stressful moment. While he wouldn't be able to watch the contract being made out of respect and privacy for everything the Ringmaster did, he would enjoy teasing Rip later that she essentially did it to herself.

He glances down for a moment towards her soul and he can already tell she wasn't human but this was a prime opportunity for information, "Now you have to tell me. You've piqued my curiosity, Miss Winkle." It would be nice to put a soul to a reference.
singinghuntress: (Smirk)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-09 06:14 am (UTC)(link)
If that later came, Rip might just try and punch him for talking her into it depending on how angry she was at that time.

Rip didn't have any idea what he might be doing but, she did know curiosity when it reared it's head and she loved to use that to her advantage to tease others.

"Do I? It might be more fun if you guess und if you guess right, I might zhink of a revard for you."
magicsprice: ([.]We can drive it home)

[personal profile] magicsprice 2018-01-09 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
Gold nodded once in acknowledgment of the name and followed Tyki quietly toward the backstage, then into the main tent. "I can wait." He's got considerable experience in waiting and the virtue of patience given the length of time he's lived.

His eyes briefly follow the others upward before falling once again to rest upon his current companion. "That's good to hear." Better to sign on in return for payment than to be enlisted to repay a debt he suspects. Debts had a way of growing like weeds if one wasn't careful about it. "Do you enjoy working here?"

Might as well pass the time with idle chatter that could also be subtly informative, though he'll understand if Tyki decides to give him a non-answer depending on how he came to be working here.
prazerbutterfly: (zpost exo - heh)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-09 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Try to punch him and he'll have to restrain her or sit on her to get her to calm down. Probably shouldn't make punching a habit, Rip Van Winkle.

He grins small because he knows where this topic is going. "Might, hmm?"

He pretends to think hard but because he only knows of a couple of things besides a human, he gets his right the first shot, "Is it blood?" His second choice would've been flesh or brains.
prazerbutterfly: (zpost exo - annoyed dare you to test me)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-09 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
There's not many that are this excited to meet the Ringmaster. Some usually have a little more wariness to it. He's amused and it shows by the way his grin keeps affixed to his face. Tyki was the type that if he wasn't smiling or grinning something was terribly wrong, or one should run.

"Yes," comes his answer even if he was tricked into it. It was his choice to gamble and Tyki was one that believed strongly in choice. "It has its moments of displeasure but all jobs do." Conman is where he really had fun.

"Do you enjoy a little danger, Mister Gold?" His eyes are still on Doll as she balances perfectly with barely a net below her. Even the crowd was eating it up.
magicsprice: (pic#7781201)

[personal profile] magicsprice 2018-01-09 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
He wouldn't say that he was excited, eager perhaps to get to the dealing. But then that was an old habit that poked its head out whenever there was a deal to be made. It's not something to be wary about to him as he's been that boogyman making the deals for 'anything' before, he knows how this dance goes. And at this point, he's ready to make deals even with those he'd never consider working with before now.

"Indeed. I suspect anyone who says differently about their work is lying or sucking up to someone." He replied with an amused half-smirk.

At the question, one eyebrow rose a little. "Sometimes." He's no stranger to using the illusion of danger to entertain or even enjoying a little schadenfreude, but enjoying putting himself in actual danger was something of a hit or miss situation, hence his answer.
singinghuntress: (Smirk)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-09 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Then maybe he shouldn't make teasing her a habit for both of their health. Then again, if he tries to restrain her, she might like it.

"Yes, might~" And where exactly did he think this topic was going? Rip may surprise him.

As he seems to be thinking, she's leaning forward to watch him. Part of her is curious of what he'll guess and another part is more amused than anything else. However, at his guess, she just grins and hows off her fangs.

"I'm surprised, you guessed it on zhe first try. If I didn't know any better, I vould zhink you haf experience vith my kind."
kingsroads: (just sort of huffy and taken aback)

menagerie!

[personal profile] kingsroads 2018-01-09 07:19 pm (UTC)(link)
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?
hurtcomfort: (get yourself some expressions my man)

[personal profile] hurtcomfort 2018-01-09 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"And for mistakes," Cole answers. That's the part that concerns him the most. He can't make people here forget as easily as he did back home (well he can, but he shouldn't.) Working together, with each other, they needed to remember him but did they need to remember all of him?

"I wouldn't mind more familiar though," he admits. "Not knowing what to do isn't the same as not knowing. It was more of that at the start."

What are carnivals, we just don't know.
prazerbutterfly: (zpost exo - annoyed dare you to test me)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-10 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
"Some of the places we visit aren't exactly hospitable. People enjoy breaking rules from time to time. It can get messy." Not that he's trying to persuade him not to join or even warn him. Gold seemed quite set on this and that is the only reason he is mentioning it.

"Work is work. I would expect no more or less. I do enjoy it sometimes. The lights, the enjoyment of the crowd, watching people enjoy their passions. Like the little miss up above."

Then again, he saw Doll as a little sister and it was hard not to appreciate family.
worldlyafflictions: (ch019pg15p2)

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-10 06:39 am (UTC)(link)
Would it be that easy ta fake? Not that I can see what the point would be--hey! [He holds his bag of pastries out of Rin's reach.]

I paid for these! [With his own. allowance..? Double agent salary? Does anyone pay him in anything besides swank uniforms, actually? The point is he bought these himself, jeez!] Gimme a second ta settle in before ya start helping yourself!
worldlyafflictions: (ch057pg30p3)

LOOK

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-10 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
Not all of 'em, obviously. Or at least we're the big kids if we're gonna go with that definition. And there's just some things only big kids do together~! That's just how the world is.

[He is gonna go fully snotty big kid here. This is why his niece thinks attacking him is more fun, probably.]
soft_focus: (Hair02)

sorry shima you're too much like a castmate now-

[personal profile] soft_focus 2018-01-10 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[...............Going Snotty Big Kid was probably the Biggest Mistake he could make in this situation, at least if he had any hopes of creating some sort of reputation.

Which to be fair, most don't really consider around seven year old children.

She rather blatantly looks right at him as she grabs the nearest chair and sits down. Deal with it.
]

Ok. I won't eat things... ...But I wanted to sit somewhere, so I'm sitting here now.

[That's Just How This World Is.]
prazerbutterfly: (now now)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-10 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Sorry but when he finds people who are easy to tease it doesn't really stop. She'll either learn to control her temper or she'll find herself flat on her face more than she likes or stuck somewhere.

He's nosy and while not rude he does reach out to poke one. Sorry, but he just had to make sure it was real, "Not particularly. I've heard stories and blood is the most obvious choice, other than flesh, brains, and energy."
magicsprice: (pic#10681904)

[personal profile] magicsprice 2018-01-10 09:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Who the devil indeed. The question earned a quiet chuckle despite the situation. It wasn't often he ran into someone who didn't know who he was, though perhaps that was now apt to be happening far more often here. He replied to the question, even as he considered the man who had asked it.

"Mr. Gold."

The man before him looked for the most part human, but one who had perhaps ran rather afoul of some brand magic. Provided the eyes weren't done on purpose. One never really knows when it comes to displays of magical effects like that. It might have been done on purpose or it could be a curse. It's nothing to him beyond a curiosity though for the moment.

"I seem to have gotten a little lost during the tour I paid for earlier." After a fashion, the words were true, though what he refrained from mentioning was he'd gotten himself 'a little lost' intentionally to see just what wasn't being shown during the tour.
Edited 2018-01-10 21:54 (UTC)
singinghuntress: (chatty smile)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-10 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Chances are she will end up flat on her face quite often before she tames her temper or at the very least figure out ways to tease him back. Either way, it will be entertaining to see what happens.

Rip watches as his fingers come close to her fangs with a smirk and then a playful snap to prove that they are definitely very real. " Zhen it is good you guessed zhat first. I vould haf been insulted ozher vise."
exaomori: (🐍 7)

[personal profile] exaomori 2018-01-11 12:05 am (UTC)(link)
[rin...

Truthfully, it's all a lot to take in. Shura was told that they'd return back home to the same moment, but that's not something she can swallow down easily when the world seems to be in the middle of collapsing around them.
]

At least you're learnin' the value of work or something, I guess.

[he's learning it faster than shura did

Better than nothing--it wasn't like he could go about exorcising his host here...
]
kingsroads: (maybe we can talk about other things?)

[personal profile] kingsroads 2018-01-11 12:50 am (UTC)(link)
During the tour? Well, he must be a visitor then. A visitor who, oddly enough, is in an area that Strange knows is off limits to the general public. That frown stays on his face for a moment before it vanishes and Strange settles on a neutral yet charmed expression. He sticks the feathers in his trousers pocket before he just starts talking, watching Gold all the while.

"It just so happens that I work at the carnival." Though not in the animal pens. But still, point stands! It counts! Strange gives Gold a polite nod. "My name is Jonathan Strange. Now, how can I help you get un lost and back to where the interesting bits of the carnival are located?"

You know. The bits where Gold's actually supposed to be.
flashover: (127 *squints)

[personal profile] flashover 2018-01-11 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
Oi! I made the damn things! But fine, be stingy if you want. [he sticks out his tongue. Yep, that's changed too; it's blue and has a fork on the end] Whatever, dude. So are you staying and making a contract, or going back to... [he pauses] What's even going on at home for you right now, anyway?
flashover: (089)

[personal profile] flashover 2018-01-11 03:32 am (UTC)(link)
Kyeheheheh! Dad would be proud, huh? Little loser Rin, all grown up and turned into a weird dragon demon and cooking for a living! [he gives an exuberant, goofy smile, and holds up two fingers. V for VICTORY!

As always, so cheerful. So naive. So completely unaware of how the world is falling apart around their ears back home. For him, the seal is still in place -- the Gehenna gate is contained. Of course it was! Mephisto had it under control, didn't he?
]

You should be careful sneaking around, though. You might accidentally break one of the Ringmaster's weird rules that she doesn't ever really clarify.
prazerbutterfly: (sly)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-11 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Just don't go pissing off a fae and taking the rest of them down with that rage. Tyki won't appreciate that at all.

"It's also easier to obtain than the others. Especially since you are likely to be here for a while... until you find your way out. Or you can hold out until your vacation is over."
singinghuntress: (Smirk)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-11 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
Give her some credit! She knew better than to piss off things that might kill her. Somewhat...maybe. This will be a learning experience for her.

"Oh? Zhat is good to hear. Zhough, I don't know vhy I vould be sticking around her longer zhan necessary. I haf a mission to complete vhen I get back home."
prazerbutterfly: (now it's just interesting)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-01-11 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Well, she did just break a lot of mirrors even if that was a well set up trap. His hand slides upwards to his cheek as he leans into it and starts to grin rather wide.

Ignore the way the blood from his gloves smears onto his cheek. He certainly doesn't mind, "Because the Ringmaster is going to come for you and you have nowhere to run."
singinghuntress: (frustrated glare)

[personal profile] singinghuntress 2018-01-11 04:37 am (UTC)(link)
For a moment, she's distracted by the streak of crimson on his cheek. Even she had to admit..it looked good against his skin. However, what he said next made her tense up and for a brief moment, fear laced through her before she shoved it down with a soft growl.

"For vat!? Vhy vould zhe Ringmaster come for me."

She was still unaware of just how caught she was, but, even then she had a feeling of dread.
worldlyafflictions: (ch081pg32p1)

1/2

[personal profile] worldlyafflictions 2018-01-11 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
Who's the one being stingy if you can just make 'em any time?

[Leans away a little and sticks two of them in his mouth in case Rin tries to take more.] Thef arh heriouly ghooh hough...

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