⇨ Test Drive Meme: THE ATHENAEUM

[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 CLOSED. Lost Carnival is now accepting willing recruits only. This means that your character will have to willingly sign on in exchange for a major favour from the Ringmaster. Current characters are encouraged to make this offer known. Future events will temporarily make specific forms of unwilling recruitment available, but those will strictly event specific and will be announced as they occur. 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. CURRENT STOP↴ ⇨ THE ATHENAEUM ⇦ The Athenaeum is a city sized library realm comprised of absolutely nothing but hall after hall of books. Some rooms are well organized, vast and carefully categorized, while others are simply enormous piles of tomes with no rhyme or reason to their contents. Many cannot be read at all. The ones you can read, however, are a sampling of literature and history from all over the multiverse, in quantities beyond your comprehension. The catch? The only true way to find what you're looking for is to trust in fate. Literally. As it turns out, the carnival is currently nestled right in the middle of this massive library, with tall shelves of books replacing what would usually be trees. It's a peculiar sight - thought perhaps not quite as odd as the hundreds of book character brought to life that are attending the carival with you, as fellow patrons. ► BOOK GHOSTS: While many of the specters are perfectly innocuous, there is nothing dividing them from the evil and dangerous things in fiction, and within the Scribe's recorded history. It's entirely possible that certain characters or imagined beings may threaten carnival visitors - the best way to fight back against them is to improvise a story back at them, and to play by their stories rules while turning events so that you come out as the winner. Suffice to say, it will be difficult if you aren't a creative type. For more details about these book ghosts, check out the event post. Recruits from this month will be signing on with the carnival between Day 47 and Day 53 on the season calendar. They can appear in the carnival at any point during those days, or the weeks 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. The spirits are even more grouchy and bored since the Ringmaster told them they weren't allowed to trick people into taking on debt anymore. ► 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. They may have originally been tricked into service, but apparently the Ringmaster isn't doing that anymore. ► 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

[betheman]

"Eaten," he huffs, looking caught somewhere between 'it was annoying' and 'it's bad but it's really not as bad as it sounds, trust me'. Perhaps with a side dose of 'ok it was'- but, he holds the arm out in case Eruka wants to look it over, the lens on the repulsor shining. "One or our current Patrol members is a blade of unique sorts- they had entered frenzy, and took my arm when I stood between them and others."

There is a somewhat awkward pause, and his ears flick. "Afterward however... ...He apparently regretted this enough to tear off his own arm, for until he was able to purchase a replacement," Gongenzaka coughs. Hence, the robo-arm.

That said.

"As for the limbs... ...it is what one apparently risks in requesting a second chance at life with the Ringmaster. After you left, we were attacked.. ...I, the man Gongenzaka, was among the casualties."

[amphibiopathic]

The more Gon talks, the more Eruka goes pale. Eaten? By some kind of sword monster who can rip off his own arm?! Just what kind of people has the Ringmaster been hiring?!

"That's ... a lot." She recovers quickly, but she still can't help the nervous croak out of her throat as she steps forward to cautiously examine the arm. It's a convenient excuse for not meeting Gon's eyes, if nothing else.

"I see." She'd known a bit about that resurrection spell, enough to consider getting one of her own even, but even she has some queasiness about the idea of coming out of an egg. "What were you attacked by?"

[betheman]

"Vampires," he replies gruffly. "...We encountered them again later on, but.... ...they have since been dealt with," he insists, watching as Eruka studies the arm. It probably is best that she not look at his eyes, given the fact that one looks like it's completely white due to injury. There's certainly enough scaring around it.

(Fortunately, it works fine.) "'A lot' puts it quite mildly, I must say."

[amphibiopathic]

'Vampires' isn't an entirely unfamiliar concept to Eruka, but why the Carnival would be having trouble with them... well, it's obviously a long story, and probably not something that she can listen to later, if Gon feels like telling it.

"I'm starting to see that..." Was this a bad time to come back? Well, it doesn't matter. This is something Eruka wants enough to stick around, even if what's happened to Gon has her worried. Her expression grows more determined.

"Who else is still around?"

[betheman]

Honestly, the vampires feel like they would be cupcakes next to what they deal with now, but Gongenzaka doesn't have any reason to say as much. Instead he taps his fingers from crossed arms, pondering am answer.

"A number of others are still here," he eventually replies. "A small number are now Supervisors, in fact- Sans has replaced the Warden, for example...however there is also Carly, Peridot, Joker..."

Hmm. "Were you...looking for anyone, Eruka?'

[amphibiopathic]

"Me--?" The witch takes a half step back with a little laugh, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Of course not!" Really, that list is sort of a relief. Nobody too frightening, or who was fond of bullying her. And if she remembered right, Joker was pretty easy on the eyes, wasn't he? ♥

"I suppose it hasn't really been that long since I was here..." In her time, at least. Some months, at most, though it feels a lot longer. She huffs a sigh, looking away, then waves at the tunnel of love again.

"... but, I still want to see what this ride's about! You're not going to let a girl ride alone, right Gon~? ♥"

[betheman]

Gongenzaka mostly regards Eruka with dry suspicion, with that initial response. He has a funny feeling that she was checking for anyone with less than savory opinions of her...as it is, he does have to agree that it hasn't been long. "Aaah...Perhaps a year, at most, so-"

He chokes, sputtering a bit as he grows red again. "Th-Th- It is the 'Tunnel of Love', you do realize who the intended audience for such a ride is, I hope..!!"

[amphibiopathic]

Eruka puts a hand to her hip again, lips pursing as she shakes her head.

"I don't see any signs about that around here, do you?" She twines her fingers together, pretending to scuff a foot against the ground. "Besiiides, it's just for fun! You've never gone on it yourself, have you?"

[betheman]

Gongenzaka gives a raised brow, sparing a glance to the boats- the boats that he will most absolutely fill most of.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, have had no interest, after all."

[amphibiopathic]

"Then that's all the more reason to go!"

Eruka reaches out to grab his arm, starting to tug Gon over to one of said boats.

"Come on, I'm not that scary, am I?"

Never mind that she'll absolutely make sure to have a bomb innocently go off in his trailer if he says otherwise.

[betheman]

"MNH! C-Certainly not..! I merely-! That is to say-!"

He is running out of excuses and ways to avoid saying that he's embarrassed, and by the time he gives up, he is already one paw awkwardly in the boat.

"................Are we quite certain it will not sink," he finally mutters, rather shamefully looking over the boat he is half way into.

[amphibiopathic]

Hm. Well. There are certain logistical challenges to this problem, aren't there? But Eruka's confident.

"The Carnival was built with much heavier guests than you in mind, I'm sure~" she sing-songs, planting her hands on his rump to push him innn.

"But if you're that worried about weight--" A puff of smoke, and yup, she's a frog, grinning at Gongenzaka. Never mind that Eruka soaking wet probably wouldn't make a difference either way and it might be even more awkward for Gon to be going into the ~Tunnel of Love~ with an amphibian.

(On the bright side, maybe that's less embarrassing than going in there with a girl.)

[betheman]

It is indeed, somehow 'less embarrassing'. For a moment he blinks rather owlishly at the frog, before laughing rather warmly. If she's a frog it'll just look like he took the ride...mostly alone right? Yeah, probably.

Scratching his head awkwardly, he thus relents. "Very well...you have insisted enough!" he declares, carefully trotting into the boat properly. "...I, the man Gongenzaka, suppose you may make yourself comfortable..." He's covered in leaves and you're a frog. It's probably a soft seat.