⇨ 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

spoilers ig....

[exaomori]

[Back in Aomori, when she thought that she was likely seeing the twins for the last time, she believed Rin would be okay without her. As it turns out, maybe Rin still needed supervision from someone?? Criminy.]

Six months. [She repeats, dragging her hand through her hair, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. This was way too much for her.]

Well, at least you don't seem too bothered by it.

SPOILERS yeah sure

[flashover]

[he laughs a stupid "gyehehehe" sort of laugh, then begins fidgeting with the strings of his apron as he talks]

It's not so bad. None of it is any weirder than my tail, anyway, even if it's all harder to hide. But that's what glamour is for! [he pauses, then looks at Shura] Oi... Shura-san... you didn't... sneak in here, did you? You paid at the gate, right?

[exaomori]

Glamour--

[excuse you mister, just who do you think you're talking to??

Wait, no, that's a perfectly reasonable question to ask considering who he's talking to. Not that Shura doesn't give an agitated huff when he does ask.]

I gave them my keychain at the front. They let me in after that, so I figured that made them happy.

[That was one of the first signs she had that this was not a normal circus. Who took dinged up old keychains for payment?]

I've been checking things out since then. I'm not going to take anything people are offerin' at a place like this if I can't help it.

[However... she might have caught a bit of a show unintentionally...]

[flashover]

[GLAMOUR. Like magic, not makeup. No amount of makeup can hide that adorable baby dragon snoot face]

Phew!! [Rin sighs, relaxing and looking visibly relieved] Good. I mean, it's not BAD being stuck here... but it's better if you can get your own contract, you know? [and not... like... him.

FREE GAMES, they said. IT'LL BE FUN, they said.]

[exaomori]

Rin.

[that's her 'I-know-you-did-something-stupid-now-fess-up' voice]

Are you sayin' that you got stuck here?

[this might come to bite her in the tush when she realizes what she's done herself...]

[flashover]

[FWISH. His tail frizzes up like a spooked cat, and he looks anywhere but at Shura, his cheeks going pink]

I....! No! I definitely.... I definitely made a contract of my own free will! TO... UH... [if it weren't already clear he was lying through his teeth, the fact that he can't remember the terms of his "contract" seals the deal] ... play... games! Yeah! I... I wanted more time to uh... study for the exorcist exam! Yeah!

[exaomori]

[ rin, leave the lying to your brother. Hand on her hip, Shura's smile is brought on by secondhand embarrassment. ]

I dunno what's worse, that story or the fact that you think I might believe it.

[ don't answer that it's a trap ]

[flashover]

Rrrnnngh... Fine. Ok! I got tricked by the cinder sprites and got caught playing games for free.... a year and a day of service for some dumb old carnival games...!

[he puts both arms behind his head, fingers laced, and purses his lips again, standing at an angle] But it's been interesting! I get to cook all day.... and people like my food! So... it's not so bad.

[exaomori]

[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...]

[flashover]

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.

[exaomori]

[Ignorance is bliss, truly. She would have to question him later on what he knew, but for now, she'll let it be.]

Weird rules? What kinda weird rules does she have?

[please explain... Shura's already come to realize that she's done something since she couldn't make her way out of the forest, but just what she did is still a mystery to her.]

[flashover]

[ignorance is bliss and he's the most happy guy on earth!]

Oh, you know... if you do anything without paying... she'll get you for a whole year! Even if you don't do it on purpose.

[it's dumb. Fae are dumb. But at least the Ringmaster was... well. Compared to the other fae he's met, she's amazing]

[exaomori]

So she really is just lookin' to trap people in here...

[damn it she hates this woman already]

[flashover]

Yeah.... yeah. I think she just... really likes humans? Likes to watch them and kind of keep us like weird pets. [.... that sounds bad, doesn't it. He scratches at his head a bit] I... don't think she means anything by it, though...

[exaomori]

[So she's like a weird version of Mephisto?? Ugggh ]

Even if she doesn't mean anythin' by it, she's still trapping people here.

[Rin we went over this with Hachiro, you don't get to trap people just because you like them a lot!!]

[flashover]

[Well, ONE MIGHT SAY she's a less weird version of Mephisto. Depending on who you ask.

But... that's actually a very apt comparison. Maybe that's why Rin doesn't mind so much?]

Yeah, but it's not forever! And we go back to where we were taken from. It's like... a vacation from your life.

[exaomori]

Vacations don't involving working for anyone, you know.

[come on rin you should know that. And it's definitely not settling well with Shura, no matter how he tries to put it. But maybe it's unfair to be snapping at him like this--Rin made do with what he had. This wasn't really that strange of a reaction, especially if he wasn't aware of what was going on back home.]

[flashover]

Well, I'm just cooking, so... I don't really think of it like a job! [he shrugs!] But that might just be for me... I guess it depends on what she has you do...

[and unfortunately, "Sitting around getting drunk on cheap beer" isn't a job]

[exaomori]

[what about sitting around getting drunk while looking super sexy??]

Well, I'm glad it's not too much trouble for you.

[She doesn't wanna work??? She asked for a demotion and got assigned to Mephisto's security detail, that's how well her job assignments have been going.]

[flashover]

[I mean. Maybe if you were sitting around in a kissing booth? Making money? That MIGHT count.]

Gehehe. None at all, really! But... I'm sorry you got stuck, too. I'll help you as much as I can!

[exaomori]

[no she doesn't want monkey boys coming and kissing her... though if she got paid extra it might be worth it for a day or two...]

It's not bad to eat your food, I guess.

[a bright spot... she still gets her rin-made lunch for probably free! And if not free, Yukio was around to bum off of...]

[flashover]

Right! You get to eat my food any time you want. So it's really pretty awesome.

[oh. He forgot about his garbage bag. He picks it up off the ground where he had dropped it] Though they'll probably wonder where I went... I should get rid of this trash and get back to it.

[exaomori]

I'll keep it in mind.

[Could be stuck eating instant ramen for the rest of the year. No point in complaining to Rin about it.]

Yeah, better get to work. They might add on another year if they catch you slackin' off.

[but wait]

Where are you stayin'? Just in case I need to catch you later.

[flashover]

[Rin makes his way to the dumpster as he talks]

Haha! That wouldn't be so bad, maybe... [Running away from responsibility? Him? NEVER.]

Oh, well, you can find me here most of the time! But my trailer is number 15!

[exaomori]

[Rin... Shura isn't going to forget that. Shura will keep behind him,
following if she needs.]

I'll remember that. [But even if she knew where she was going to stay, would Rin remember that it if she told him?]

They put you in with someone?