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⇨ Test Drive Meme: SPACE OLYMPICS
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:
CURRENT STOP↴ ![]() Welcome to the Space Olympics! The year is 3022. This year's host is Zargon, which is only hosting because the four previous hosts all dropped out. Still, Zargon's put lot of time and money into developing a complex perfect for the Space Olympics. Floating above the planet's atmosphere is a large spaceship turned athletic arena, obviously named Olympic Spaceship. Stadiums are on every corner, there's swimming pools every other block, and a large racetrack surrounds the city. Of course, not much about this matters to newcomers visiting the carnival, besides the wide array of weird aliens visiting alongside them. ► DIVERSITY: If you've arrived at the carnival without being aware that it was a separate world from your own, the presence of dozens upon dozens of aliens visiting its grounds may clue you in. All the big names from classic science fiction are here, apparently for some kind of sporting event? Wookies, Vulcas, you name it. Apparently they are from some kind of alternate reality where all of these species both exist in the same universe and are inclined to have sports competitions with each other. The multiverse is wild, ain't it? ► WIN OR RIOT: Along with sports comes bravado, and with a lot of alien races intermingling for the sake of competition, blood can run a bit hot. Don't be surprised if some fight break out before different species while visiting the carnival round, and also don't be surprised if you get mixed up in it. The carnival has security but, y'know. It's a busy day. Recruits from this month will be signing on with the carnival between Day 30 and Day 37 on the season calendar. They can appear in the carnival at any point during those days, or the week following if time distortions happen. 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! |
Tigerstar | Warriors | New Recruit
Terms used -- twolegs//humans; StarClan//basically warrior cat ancestor spirits; TigerClan//a short-lived united Clan established by Tigerstar ))
i. TRYING TO (GREEN)LEAF
[ It was a patrol. Nothing more. Tigerstar is quite pleased with himself, having an enormous, united Clan at his beck and call after many moons of careful plotting and patient waiting. So, as many toms are wont to do when they have achieved something, he had been patrolling his new Clan's expanded territory, trying to familiarize himself with the sights and scents of RiverClan's ranges, bold and alone as he often was. He certainly wasn't just trying to get away from fish-stink, no way.
This is where things began to get strange. He takes a left, following a track worn well by many cat paws and marked by many cat sprays. He follows the path as it curves to the right. WindClan is this way, he remembers, but the border must be farther out than he thought. Tigerstar continues further, the familiar cat scents around him gradually fading away from his senses. This is the first odd thing he notices. Even so, the path goes on, and so does he.
Broad paws carry him deeper into the forest, even as strange scents tease his senses - twoleg scent is strong here, yes, but it's mingled with...other things. Birds and cats and horses, but these scents are slightly different from the ones he knows. They have a certain bite to them. A tang.
He keeps on anyway. His heart pounds a little in his chest; his claws peer out of their soft sheathes in anticipation of something special happening. Is StarClan leading him somewhere, on this strange path? Is it a vision? There's only one way to find out, and so he keeps on.
This is where the oddities reach their pinnacle. There's a snap of twigs. A crash of leaves. A shower of pollen that smells much to sweet....and suddenly someone is there in front of him. Not a cat, but perhaps not a twoleg, either. Against his better judgement, instinct drives Tigerstar's claws to their full, wicked lengh, his hackles to their highest heights. Very fearsome for a cat to see, but maybe a little more comical for anything bigger than a fox. ]
INTRUDER! [ A brazen hiss accompanies the accusation. ]
ii. OF RODENTS AND REGRET (( This one is kinda gross! Barfy gets an unwelcome visitor. ))
[ Okay. So this is a "circus" or a "carnival" or something, and the not-twolegs here can talk. That's fine. This is fine. StarClan works in strange ways. Maybe this is a warning about one of these "attractions" coming to the territories. Maybe TigerClan will have an opening to strike their enemies in the chaos! He must pay attention.
Tigerstar elects to continue his quest after having gotten himself rather lost in those bizarre woods. He has seen the entryway, certainly - he has seen it several times, in fact - but no self-respecting cat uses the front door. Thankfully, one of the menagerie stalls has a window, and while it's by all means too tight a fit for a human, Tigerstar is not a human. It's still a bit of a squeeze to push through the bars into the rancid-smelling enclosure, and Tigerstar has a few regrets at choosing this one in particular, but a warrior never turns back until it's absolutely necessary.
He sniffs around a bit, and the stink of twolegs, animal droppings, and hay punish his senses in return. He can't help but bare his fangs in a soft hiss at the odors that assault the roof of his mouth. There's something in the corner, he knows - he can see it, some kind of rat-creature. The source of that rotting smell. It must be dead. Well, if he's going to wander around here, he might as well make some effort to make it smell a little less terrible.
It's not until he's raised his tail and made his mark that Tigerstar realizes he's made a grave mistake. A hiss answers his move, and soon after he feels several sharp somethings bearing into his hindquarters.
Fur flies. Claws swipe. What follows is quite possibly one of the most ungodly cacophonies to descend upon any of the menagerie enclosures, as this 13-pound cat finds himself locked in vicious combat with a rodent of unusual size. ]
iii. ADMISSION FLEAS
[ To put a Clan cat in a collar is humiliating. To put a Clan cat in a harness is tantamount to torture. Tigerstar had not ever considered that there might be something worse than either of those, but here he is - with these horrible, too-sweet smelling twoleg-made cobwebs strangling his legs and behind with more fury than any snake he's ever tangled with.
He sits, dog-like and sullen, on the admission table in front of the carnival after a worker so graciously deposited him there. He can't bend his legs. He still smells like rat-thing. And now he has to put up with more of these weird talking not-twolegs. All of it stinks, literally and figuratively.
But he is a Clan cat. Even when he's stuck wearing what's effectively a gauze diaper, Tigerstar still finds a little dignity in himself to sit with his chin high as he regards the carnival worker in front of him. Or perhaps the new arrival behind him. Either way, these twolegs make him angry and he has a few things to say to them. ]
This is an outrage! [ Another hiss slithers out under his words. ] First you invade TigerClan territory, then you humiliate me. I never imagined you twolegs to be the dignified sort, but it disappoints me to find out you have even less honor than I anticipated. What do you have to say for yourself?
iv. WILDCATS! ER, WILDCARD!
Somehow, Tigerstar does manage to get himself into the carnival the right way. You might encounter him somewhere on the carnival grounds, though most likely not inside any buildings or tents. Maybe you tripped over him. Or maybe he made a mad dash for your ankles. Let's get creative! Feel free to add or DM me on Discord @asraith#4423.
TRYING TO...LEAF.... the link is to an image ref GON LOOKS VERY NOT ICON-LIKE
This 'fox' isn't quite a fox. Rather, this 'fox' has traits of one up the top, but then the forelegs of a bear, the hindlegs of a massive horse, and a mane of leaves from head to tail, fierce antlers poking from his brow there. And as comical as he seems to others, he is also quite large-nine feet tall, in fact, and peering downward with rather large, innocently confused eyes. In other words, certainly nothing likely to appear 'comical' to Tigerstar. A crash of leaves brings more leaves, upon great, massive paws.
And well, with such size, why would he be at all threatened by a spitting cat!] Hmm?
[Gongenzaka's voice is a rumble, and yet he does not move even to defend against what scratches may come.] Intruder? [he questions.] Have you perhaps wandered in from your own realm then, sir?
[And it must be a sir, that much Gongenzaka is certain of. From the voice which he hears, it cannot be a child...though it is odd, certainly, to be speaking to what seems to be an ordinary cat. Ah, well-there are all sorts of realms after all, are there not?
And so Gongenzaka continues.] Perhaps we may speak about this, if you are willing? If anyone is intruding, it would most certainly be yourself...however, such matters are hardly a serious crime with that in mind...
[Certainly not with the Ringmaster's latest judgement, anyway.]
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This, however, scared him. Maybe it was the loud noise of Gongenzaka's hooves shaking the ground under his paws. Maybe it was the baffling cocktail of smells that blew in on his tailwind. Or maybe it was just because he was, in fact, very big. Either way, it's enough to prompt Tigerstar into doing something he has not done in many moons.
He swipes at one of Gongenzaka's forepaws...and then runs away. His retreat is far from quiet, of course, but it's pretty hasty. Regardless, it would not be hard for a quadruped of Gongenzaka's size to catch up.
Tigerstar hardly registers that he understands what this creature is saying until he's a few meters away. ]
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[There were enough normal cats about the carnival, that Gongenzaka could at least recognize...somewhat, what happened. A cat had scratched, admittedly drawing some glowing red blood (not that he paid it much mind), and bolted- which were...pretty good indicators of fear.
Suffice to say, he does not follow immediately, scratching the side of his cheek instead before sighing and sniffing at the air. Unfamiliar cat or no, it is still a unique scent, and so he follows until he is at a close enough distance that he can attempt speech.]
Sir! [He announces, sitting his lower half down for the moment. Perhaps that will be enough to prove peaceful intent-the rest of him, fierce as he appears, certainly lacks the tells of a violent stranger.] As I, the man Gongenzaka, stated...you walk upon Carnival grounds.
Neither myself, nor any other here I should believe, intend you harm... But if you could state your own name, it would assuredly make this a far easier conversation..!
[It's Gon-Speak for Introduce yourself.]
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The enraged Clan cat would sink his long claws into this stranger's hide, given the chance. He just got TigerClan united, and by StarClan he is not about to let some weird horse...twoleg...tree...thing threaten that unity. ]
I will not share niceties with you, outsider!
[ It would seem that so far Gon's words are not getting through to him. How one calms down a furious talking feral cat, however, is another question entirely. ]
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[He crosses his arms, raising a brow.] If you feel this is not the case then sir, I, the man Gongenzaka, ask you...prove it. Give reason that we would be standing in something rightfully yours.
[Go on, make his day.]
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I was patrolling TigerClan territory, and this place is within our borders. [ He thinks. He's not entirely sure about this, of course, but this Theman Gongnenzaka hasn't really explained much yet. ] Where do you think we are? What is this "carnival"?
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And he can, despite natural limits of flexibility, do that. Arms still crossed, he explains.] You, member of Tigerclan, have indeed left your territory; and your very realm, for that matter. The Carnival exists on its own; at times it connects to other realms and lands in order to carry it's services there. Or, as is often the case... [He adds, inclining his head,] ....those of other realms who have personal need of it in some way, may find their own path to it.
I, the man Gongenzaka, should think you the latter-this is, after all, the first I have heard of a 'Tigerclan'.
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3
He stands in front of the cat in his shirtsleeves, heavy gloves he borrowed from Maintenance tucked under one of his arms. On his back, his wings droop halfway open like an injured bird, as he's forgotten to keep them tucked up against him again, new as they are.
The cat seems to be a domesticated sort, if scarred and filthy in a way that suggests he's feral. It's actually something of a relief that he's talking, because Herbert knows how to respond to that in a way he never really knows how to with normal cats. Even so, his cat inexperience is fairly evident because he keeps eye contact through Tigerstar's entire complaint, his expression shifting from flat to a mildly more intense stare out of bemusement.]
Are you referring to your treated injuries or to being placed on a table?
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[ The irate tabby tomcat relents eventually and glares back up at him. He wrinkles his scarred snout in an open snarl and hisses, the sound yet again undercutting Faeish in a peculiar way. ] If my haunches weren't bound I could easily leave this silly stump and get back to figuring out how to get you and your stinking contraptions off of my territory.
[ Tigerstar boldly maintains eye contact with the doctor, bristling from head to tail in response to what certainly, definitely has to be direct aggression toward him. This man smells bad. Almost as bad as the rat-thing he was fighting earlier. Maybe worse. He doesn't like him either way. ]
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[He stops the eye contact to get a look at the bandages. They seem adequate, so he won't have to do anything about those. Good.
And then the eye contact returns. Dan's cat often puffed up like this towards him and Herbert never really worked out why until it was too late to determine. Perhaps it's just something he inspires in cats for whatever reason?]
I'm Doctor West, the head of the Medical Team here. Does any of that make sense to you?
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[Tigerstar sniffs at the bandages again suspiciously before coming away with a dissatisfied grunt.] I'm not sure how you twolegs mean to heal a rotting bite without any herbs. Am I supposed to believe you twolegs have your own healers, then? Is that what you are? A medicine...twoleg?
[That doesn't roll off the tongue at all. He remembers Sasha mentioning cutters, but from what he heard, they don't heal anything. He continues to sit in his preposterous position, tail lashing all the while as he tries to keep his mind off of the lights, scents, and sounds of the carnival bearing down on him on his unfortunate perch.]
Trying to Leaf
The good news is that he stops dead in his tracks regardless, his brow creased just slightly, two dead squirrels closed tightly in one heavy bearlike-paw.
Foster has... seen a lot of things in the past several months, and very few of them have given him much pause. Dragons ('dragons'), fae, magic, terrible and awesome transformations, deaths and rebirths... all of that is well within the bounds of his reality anyway.
This is also technically within those bounds, but...]
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But...wait. It has a twoleg body, too. Oh, okay. He's heard of this. Sometimes twolegs sit on horses.
A TWOLEG IS POACHING ON TIGERCLAN TERRITORY! ]
Those squirrels!! Those don't belong to you!
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Which is technically true. He looks briefly uncertain, pausing just a moment before glancing askance at the ex-rodents.]
No... who are you?
[He's been 'harvesting' rodents and birds from both the barn and forest for months without issue; the Ringmaster never intervened or seemed to notice. Which made sense. The wildlife belonged to her. He also belonged to her. His killing and using her fauna didn't change that--in the end, all of it was still hers.
But that's the only thing he can think of, at the moment--that this hefty cat is somehow a messenger of the Ringmaster's come to warn him against further predations. So he's actually asking when he says:]
Did the Ringmaster send you?
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[ He lifts his chin and points more directly at the squirrel carcasses with his nose. TigerClan recently had a major victory in simply being united, of course, but that's no reason to just let strangers steal prey. Even if they are talking twolegs on weird headless horses. ]
More importantly...you are poaching. Those squirrels belong to TigerClan.
[ For being less than a quarter of Foster's size, Tigerstar sure is putting on quite a show of being a bossy leader cat to this enormous fungus-y horseman... ]
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But when the cat is finished, he responds by... bending at the knee, kneeling on hie fore to smile brightly--all blue eyes and prehistoric teeth--at the animal upbraiding him.]
Wrong.
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So, despite being fluffed to nearly twice his size, Tigerstar stands his ground and tries to keep up the fierce act.]
What do you mean, 'wrong'? [He narrows his eyes in a feline glare. ] You're hunting on TigerClan territory.
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[Foster has no clue what a TigerClan is, and he's very happy to embrace being wrong in any way he possibly can.
However--]
But these squirrels belong to the Ringmaster. If you have a problem....
Mmmm.
[Is taking squirrels that are already dead considered 'theft' by the Ringmaster's standards?
What if they're given freely?]
You'll have to prove your right to take them.
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RODENT
time-outthe barn. Now, though, it sounds like there is more than one horrible nightmare animal in there.When he gets close enough to get a look at the disaster unfolding in there, Ginko scrambles to unlock the enclosure and slide in. At least Barfy is too busy fighting to make a break for it.]
Hey--! C'mon, cut it out!
[How'd a cat even get in there? Ginko pulls his coat off, throws it over the two animals, and leans in to grab the smaller of the two.]
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Still, Tigerstar is somewhat single-minded - before disengaging with whatever corpse-thing he had awakened, he slaps a pawful of claws across the thing's snout. That should teach it to deceive him like that. Just as he's about to turn tail and run, however, two hands close in on him - and he's much too entangled in this coat to get away. As Ginko hefts the furious tom cat into the air, Barfy returns Tigerstar's favor with a very unwelcome and unappreciated chomp to the tabby's exposed rump.
Which, of course, prompts a scream. Feline and Faeish all at once.]
CURSE YOU!! CURSE YOU AND ALL YOUR CHILDREN!!! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! A DISGRACE! STARCLAN WILL--
[The furious hissing, spitting, squirming, and ranting continues in a steady stream of vitriol from underneath Ginko's coat. Tigerstar will not tolerate this. Once he gets this unseen something off of him, anyway.]
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Ginko struggles to keep his hold on the flailing cat wrapped in his coat - and to speak over his shouting.]
It's-- okay, calm down-- I can't let you fight our animals, now calm down so I can let you go!
[It's harder than expected to do all this at once, jeez. His grip on his coat might be slipping a little, which... could be bad, but all he can do is try and readjust as he goes.]
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STINKING TWOLEGS! STINKING RAT-THING! LET ME GO!!
[He's surprisingly strong, for a cat - not outrageously so, of course, but certainly exerting a bit more force than your average housecat. He kicks furiously with his hindlegs, though he quickly regrets it as the movement pulls on his new wounds.]
OW!!!
[After a few long moments of hissing and somewhat helplessly squirming just his forelegs, Tigerstar settles for more controlled escape efforts. He's finally done shouting, but he is still growling and grumbling as he continues to try to push himself out of Ginko's grip.]
StarClan is a cruel one...what's the point of this? Is Bluestar taunting me? [He spits.] Mouse dung.
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Once he slows down to the point of angry muttering while he tries to push free, Ginko lets out a breath and adjusts his hold, keeping the cat secure with one arm while pulling at the edge of his coat with the other to start working on freeing him. He hopes this isn't a mistake.] Okay, if you'll let me, and promise me you won't try to go after Barfy again, I can put you down and see if you're injured. And I can... try and explain your situation, if you'd like.
[He can't really blame anyone for being... confused upon wandering into this place.]
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I already know my situation. I was looking for Ringmaster when that thing attacked me. [A feline hiss undercuts his words.] So let me go!!
[As soon as an opening presents itself, Tigerstar would strike, latching onto Ginko's hand with as many sharp bits as he can. At least he probably won't break skin with his teeth, try as he might. Kill it!! Kill the wormy paw thing!!]
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