⇨ Test Drive Meme: EDEN (Rescued Captives)

[ringleaders]

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!↴ Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's test drive meme! We've changed a lot this time around and have introduced a whole new method of entering the game. Before we get started, let's lay down some details: You can (and should) read the plot FAQ here. Reserves and Applications are currently OPEN. This round, new characters will be entering as rescued captives. Initially stolen away into this world by the leader of Eden, they will be rescued by current characters as part of an in-game event. 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. They will arrive in the carnival grounds with no entry log necessary. 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 SCENARIO↴ ⇨ GARDEN OF EDEN ⇦ Eden is a magical, almost idyllic realm created by a powerful nephalem, with the specific purpose of finding a way to craft the perfect mortal soul. Above ground there are beautiful forest, gardens, and architecture that is otherworldly in its splendor. You, however, don't get to see most of that, because you have been brought to its underground prison, locked away like a zoo animal to be studied by the locals. This is extra weird because everyone living in Eden is some kind of uplifted animal - the beings attending to you are a diverse assortment of species, all with the ability to talk and apparently bend reality. The underground garden you're being kept in doesn't look like a prison at first. Despite its lack of natural light, it's well decorated with plant life and various water features, its trees growing enough fruit to sustain you indefinitely. But there's no way out. It's just you and the other captives, and occasionally one of Eden's beasts coming in to check on you, or drag someone out to be examined. It's like being abducted by UFOs if the UFOs were talking animals, and the spaceship was a magical realm. You may have noticed by now that, eventually, individual test subjects stop being returned to the garden. You could imagine this is because they've been released, but realistically, you suspect it's something much worse. ► THE MIRROR: The first thing you remember of your stay in Eden is seeing a mirror, its pristine silver surface being all that you can focus on. You don't know how you got there, only that the reflection seems to reach inside of you and pull something out, as if it's splitting you in half to create your mirror image. Eventually, you lose consciousness, and wake up in the garden prison. It took you a while to get the chance to talk to any of the animals, and they are disinclined to give you anything but the most basic of information - what to eat, where to sleep. They don't seem to want to get attached. ► THE GARDENS: There's not much to do in the garden, besides lounge around and maybe speak with your fellow captives. They have more information for you than any of the animals will - some of them are human, but some of them are obviously alien, telling tales of different worlds far beyond your experience. The lights dim at night and brighten in the day, but there's no outdoors to be seen. There are cushions and blankets laying on the grass for you to sleep on, but there are no beds. No one who has gotten violent towards the animals that attend to you has come back after being hauled off. ► SOMETHING MISSING: Since the moment you've arrived, no magic or powers you had previously have worked. More than that, you feel like something inside of you is missing - like some part of your soul never came back from being split into that mirror you saw. Maybe that's an abstract idea for you, maybe you don't believe in souls. Yet, now it's an instinctive feeling that is hard to put out of your mind. What did they take from you? Can you get it back? ► WILD CARD: Want to try some threads with the assumption that your character is already with the carnival? 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 run the obstacle course? Hang out in the Backyard? Choose whatever appeals! These prompts will be considered non-canon, unless you are applying as a veteran. Recruits from this month will be signing on with the carnival in an entry log that will be posted around the start of August. You can view the in-game calendar here. ENTRY STATUS↴ Approved characters will arrive as part of an in-game event log which will cover their rescue. TDM threads are meant to be pre-rescue circumstances, and current players will be tagging in as NPCs or other captured characters. Characters rescued from Eden can have been imprisoned in the gardens for anywhere from a single day to up to three months. Good luck keeping track, though, there's no clocks down here. Characters rescued from the gardens will be mostly depowered at the time, but will get their powers back by the end of the event. Characters will be imprisoned with only the clothes on their back. All items will have been confiscated, but can potentially be retrieved in the event log.

Comments

⇨ MOD QUESTIONS

[ringleaders]

Do you have questions about something on this TDM, or about the process of submitting an application? Feel free to ask those here.

[onehellofamaid]

Excuse me, but can memories be taken when a character's soul is split in half? This character doesn't have any powers other than being a really good maid, so I wanted to make her lose a bit of her identity with her soul.

Re: ⇨ MOD QUESTIONS

[spaghettimonster]

I am still very much voicetesting for Beau, not quite there but working on it, so I'm wondering: what is the timeframe for us to app characters in as rescuees in the Eden event?

Re: ⇨ MOD QUESTIONS

[apaintingdarkly]

This is a very late question, but how do deals work with regards to the rescues?

Dark Mousy || DNAngel

[apaintingdarkly]

Dark is bored out of his mind.

An idyllic garden is great and all, but there's nothing to steal. There aren't many pretty girls for him to woo. There isn't anything much for him to do at all. His powers aren't working, so there isn't much he can do about escape for now. Mostly he spends his time complaining to the animals, occasionally tossing insults for good measure, not caring that they don't respond most of the time. He needs to get back to the real world. He needs to get back to Daisuke. He needs something to steal.

[raisineyes]

Something to steal, huh?

It's not much, but there's a fluffy little dog with a clipboard wandering around the gardens and taking notes. He does not seem to be paying Dark any attention.

[kingsroads]

It's during one of those times when there aren't many animals to complain to, that a face magically appears in the reflection of one of the water features in the garden. Said reflection is Jonathan Strange and he is looking up at Dark with a very concerned expression on his face.

"Good Lord," he mutters, looking up at Dark. "You're human!"

Says the person who is also human, but kind of on fire and looks like he got hit in the face with a bunch of reflections. The ends of his hair are on fire and Strange's eyes and hair are covered with a reflective coating. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He isn't even bothering to hide the concern in his voice as he whispers to Dark.

( ooc: hey there! I'm a player at lc and through in-game plot developments + mod permission, Strange can talk to people on the tdm. I don't mind infodumping plot stuff at you so just hit me up with any plot clarifications ya want~ )

Haruhi Fujioka | OHSHC

[naturalsakura]

THE GARDENS

Haruhi didn't like the feeling of being watched.

She is used to attention, sure, but being watched like she is some sort of animal is something she did not want for herself. The Garden is a beautiful place. It is, really! But she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it due to the circumstances. It is all nothing but a fuzzy blank for how she got here in the first place but she definitely misses home. She even misses those lot of idiots she calls "co-workers" and friends. Haruhi wanted a break from the Host Club. But not like this. Definitely not like this.

Haruhi touchs one of the flowers in The Garden and sighs, running her fingers over the petal. There is no way out of here, is there? She looked multiple times for exits that just didn't seem to exist. There is also what is the equivalent of DIY sleeping bags on the ground along with others people as well. Well, she couldn't complain but she'd definitely prefer her bed at the moment. How long has she been here? It felt like days. It was strange in here. The animals were weird and the ones who messed with them never came back.

Haruhi sighs and slowly sinks down into a sitting position, pulling at the grass.

"If I ever make it home, I swear I'll work double time at the host club..."

[badgernpc]

The badger Temel is far from aware of just what will happen to the 'peoples' they have been tasked with checking in on, but they are likewise no fool to the obvious. More than a few times, someone has crossed a line, and someone has had to be taken off for....who knows what really, all that Temel knows is that it is not their responsibility at that point.

They are not supposed to care, or grow attached, but with recent tensions 'outside' they cannot help but take notice of people getting closer and closer to such a point. So the badger coughs, making a pointed look toward Haruhi. More problems are the last thing anyone needs.

"....I might recommend banishing such thoughts," she warns, clicking her tongue. She carries some sort of notepad, and a pen sits atop her ear. If not for the circumstance, perhaps it could have been humorous.

[apaintingdarkly]

Dark spends enough time around attractively feminine guys that at this point he takes a school uniform at face value. He assumes Haruhi is a boy, and so doesn't entertain himself by flirting with her. A narrowly-avoided fate, that.

"Thinking of joining the zookeepers as a goat?" He doesn't even look fully at her, stretched out on one of those DIY sleeping bags with his head propped on an elbow.

"A little mud in your hair might pass for horns."

[krunmacula]

"Don't worry. We'll be leaving eventually."

It's spoken with such peaceful certainty, such absolute serenity, that it might be hard to disbelieve. It's not an opinion or a reassurance - it's a simple fact. It's a simple enough tactic, isn't it? Eliminate all possible futures where they don't escape, whether through peace or rescue or mutiny. Eventually, what's left will be the only route available.

Not that Pluto looks like the kind of lady to think in those terms. She is soft, from her voice to her body, and one of the fresh flowers in the garden has been pinned to her shirt with what limited tools are available. She takes a seat a few feet away from Haruhi - a respectful distance, but hardly keeping away from the other girl - and gives a gentle smile her way.

"Do you miss it? Your home." And then, after a brief hesitation- "Earth, I assume."

Sion Astal | Legend of the Legendary Heroes

[sunderings]

(gardens;)

There is everything to do in the lush abundance of the garden: from the low-hanging branches of slim, fluted trees, there are twigs to strip (never more than a handful at once, and always beneath the pretense of building something innocent); from tall, ornamental grasses, there are dry blades to prune and to collect (to braid and to bind the frail structures of twigs), and from the gathered materials, there are wreathes to compose (to be adorned with flowers), such that even a watchful eye might be slow to realize that Sion Astal is collecting the necessary components for kindling a fire. But that would-be path of destruction will not be realized today—no, today is reserved for braiding sweet grass upon a magpie's collection of cushions and blankets, for Sion knows the value of patience, and what's more...

Is his current companion not pleasant?

"I wonder..." The curve of Sion's mouth is a gentle thing as he smiles, "Could I persuade you to assist me?"

[naturalsakura]

Haruhi smiles kindly at the white haired man's question. "Yeah, of course." Finding something to do in this place that is entertaining was the hardest thing to do. It is always interact, sleep, or mess with the flowers. Maybe sometimes just do all those in what seems like a day. So helping someone with something is fine entertainment for Haruhi. "I'll do my best, of course. I just hope I don't disappoint."

[krunmacula]

There is everything to do, and there is nothing to do, and even if it's the less true option Pluto certainly feels more of the latter. This place is a prison, or a lab, or perhaps both, and as beautiful as the terraforming here must have been she can't help but feel nostalgic for the vastness of space right now. To have tasted freedom, and Being, and everything else only to give it up now...

Well, she doesn't much care for it, does she? But there's not much she can do about that. So instead, she's redirecting all the love pent up within her to her companions in this beautiful cell. When she's not pacing, or gritting her teeth, or panicking- she is helping make wreaths, and putting flowers in the young ones' hair, and talking in that soft, level alto to whoever needs it most visibly.

And right now, the one who needs her most is the one directly asking her for help. She laughs gently, sitting beside him and eyeing the work he's finished. "You could! But you'll have to try a bit harder than that."

pluto ♇ | heaven will be mine

[krunmacula]

This sucks.

That's not really a helpful way to think about this situation, is it? But it's true. Undeniable, even. This place sucks and she- hates it? Is that the right word? No, no, that can't be right. She doesn't have room for hate in that heart of hers, after all. No, she pities it; she pities this place and everyone in it, deeply, irrevocably, like a still-oozing wound on her heart. Gravity means nothing here - it is fixed and stable, with no chance for individual intervention. it is artificial and human in the way that so many earthbound individuals like to brag about. It is absolute in its judgment; humans are animals, meant to stay on the ground.

How closed-minded. How futile. How utterly disappointing.

She is quiet for the first hour, and rapidly becomes an unbearable nervous wreck after that. She paces aroud the edges of the garden; she stands still in random spots, arms crossed and feet tapping and intense concentration flitting on and off her face. Sometimes, her face scrunches up and her teeth grit and it's all she can do to not break down sobbing in public; sometimes, she doesn't even get that far.

Thankfully, she's not crying when she grabs your attention. She's frowning, gentle and soft - a mother's frown in every way. She's not mad, she's just disappointed. She waves in your direction, her movements calm and controlled, and when she's sure she has your attention she speaks. Her voice is soft but weighty, like she expects you to hear no matter how far apart you might be.

"Can you feel it?"

[douchebagsealion]

"What..."

Ornut the sea lion eyes her dubiously. They don't like this one. She's got a vibe about her that they just find... offputting. And here she is asking cryptic questions..?

Ornut shakes out their whiskers disapprovingly and wraps a flipper more firmly around their clipboard, as though hoping to keep this People from peeping at it.

"What do you want?"

[apaintingdarkly]

The guise of motherhood makes no difference for Dark. The moment an attractive, distraught woman catches his attention he turns all of his on her. He closes the distance between them smoothly, hands in his pockets, not the least bit rushed.

"You've noticed it? Good. You can't let yourself believe that you belong here."

[impatientdefense]

Beau vaguely noticed Pluto and her pacing earlier, in that half-aware way of being more preoccupied with her own thoughts - and watching their animal captors - than her fellow captives.

But something about Pluto's approach now grabs her attention. Maybe it's the gentle confidence, the weight in her voice, even the disapproving motherly ambiance... adding together to a feeling like maybe this is an intimate conversation, some kind of innuendo as an opening.

So Beau's a little flustered as she responds, leaning back with forced casualness to emphasize her physique.

"Feel... it? I mean, I'm feeling a lot of things. What, uh, what were you thinking of, specifically...?"

Ethan Chandler | Penny Dreadful

[wolf_of_god]

It had been an odd sensation staring into the mirror, but waking up in a land such as this wasn't the strangest thing that had happened to him recently though. Not by far. He had felt it though, that something missing, and unlike what he read on most of the other folks here, for him it was a bit of a relief. The beast inside of him was quiet for a bit, but he couldn't help but notice the fact that many of those taken out were not coming back. And he was certain that even the others were able to put it together gradually.

Without weapons and knowing just what they were facing though, the best option was to bide time. Going over to one of the pools of water he splashed a bit of water on his face to try to keep himself awake, as well as to wash up a bit and not look quite as frightful.

"Not the first time I've had to sleep on the ground under the stars. I guess I should be thankful they were kind enough to provide a bit of cover and something to eat, and that there's plenty of clean water."

He hadn't been speaking to anyone in particular, just seeing who might have been close enough or was actually paying attention to what he was saying. After a few moments, he just sat back, looking towards the direction that their jailors would come and go.

"Though I am curious as to what they call this place?"

Wildcard: Open to him mingling about the carnival, maybe putting on a show as a sharp shooter and reliving the days he spent traveling with that small troupe of entertainers.

wildcard!

[krunmacula]

It's not often that Pluto gets downtime these days! It's taken her some getting used to, too. Going from sitting in a lab to flying a skinself was one thing, but this- this is almost more, in its own way. There are no gravity reactors for her to impose her will on the outside; without Krun Macula, she is unbearably small, a fragile human soul contained in a fragile "human" body.

Not that her body's staying entirely the same, either. This place has a gravitational pull all of its own, and she's let a few changes through already. Dust and blades of grass and leaves orbit her like tiny asteroid belts; her eyes glow with the reflection of hundreds of stars. Most notably, a veil of crystals hover gently in front of her face, lifting only when she sees fit to take them off.

This is one of those occasions. She's let the crystals slide away, watching with something approaching admiration in her eyes as Ethan practices his routine. She stays silent - mostly silent, at least, a soft and fond giggle if the routine warrants it or a small gasp when he does something especially skillful. It's only when he finishes his routine that she speaks up.

"Amazing! You're amazing." She comes across at the perfect intersection of patronizing and heartfelt; she means every word of what she says, and maybe she means it a tiny bit condescendingly as well. "How many years of practice did it take?"

misaki okusawa | bang dream!

[idontcarebear]

a. gardens
There have been times when Misaki felt like practice with the band was the most grueling, exhausting, and miserable thing in the world. Present circumstances have her reevaluating that slightly.

It's weird to be thankful to be alone for that reason, but not nearly as weird as everything the hell else. The fact that she'd arrived in full Michelle regalia didn't seem to faze the talking animals much, and the peace and the quiet of the gardens should be comforting, but instead it all just wigs her the hell out. She's also not sure of what to make of the fact that they just let her keep the Michelle costume. Do they just let people keep stuff, or is it because they think the costume is...part of her?

Misaki is lying under the shade of some trees with her hands tucked behind her head, trying to achieve some sense of rest. Michelle is laid out next to her, because it...feels weird to just leave it laying around unattended.

b. something missing
It's weird. Nothing hurts or anything -- aside from being in some kind of magical prison, Misaki's just fine. But something just feels...not quite right. Like she's misplaced something and forgotten where it was. It catches the fringe of her attention when her mind turns a little too fast, when she thinks about her friends. Her band mates. Can she really call them friends? They're exhausting, hardly listen to her, can barely stay on track and constantly forget her name... But something about it feels missing, her memories feeling like flat glass reflections. Kanon's laugh, Kokoro's smile... She remembers they used to make her feel something, but when she tries to picture it in her mind, it goes out of focus, and she can't remember, just out of reach.

i love bang dream omg

[naturalsakura]

Haruhi is walking around, getting used to the gardens, when she happens to spot the head of the bear not too far away. She approaches slowly, carefully, and leans down. She rests a hand on the head of the bear and smiles. It's...oddly adorable. Her attention is then drawn to the girl that is laying next to it. She seems to be...sleeping?

"Um...excuse me?" Haruhi says, her voice light and careful as she didn't want to shout the girl out of her slumber.

Beauregard | Critical Role: Campaign 2

[impatientdefense]

► SOMETHING MISSING

There's a lot of somethings missing. Like, what happened at the end of that drinking contest, did she black out? Why did she wind up briefly waking up in front of some magic mirror, and then waking again in some reverse animal zoo? Where are all her friends and not-quite-friends she travels with, are they here? And if not, where were they when she was getting kidnapped?

But there's something else missing, too. Maybe it's just that they're probably getting drugged with something, because she can't seem to focus her ki, and her coordination's all sluggish. That's the main thing keeping her from grabbing one of these animals and making them talk - they have some kind of crazy magic, and she's not sure she could even catch an arrow right now.

That, and when she first woke up in the garden, there was some really aggressive guy getting hauled off. She's been here long enough for a few light and dark cycles, and felt tired about the same number of times, so it's been at least a few days. No sense getting herself disappeared until she gets desperate.

...But it can't hurt to just ask some questions, right? Maybe one of those animals will look her way, and she can ask - real casually - if the prisoners here are getting poisoned.

► WHISPERS IN THE GARDEN

On the other hand, talking with her fellow captives is a pretty safe bet. Maybe they don't know much either, but she won't know until she asks, and they're not likely to snitch on her. Even better, says a train of thought that sounds suspiciously like Nott and Jester tag-teaming her good sense, if she gets up in one of those trees, none of the animal jailers will know she's talking.

So after some doing - they're spindly trees, and okay maybe she's never been all that good at climbing - she does her best to hide in the foliage and wait for somebody to come by.

"Hey," she greets from among the fruits.

► WILDCARD

(Rest assured that if Beau joined the Carnival, she would go very confidently at that obstacle course - and get surprised by lasers and whatever other traps have been added)

SOMETHING MISSING

[badgernpc]

If Beauregard honestly asks this badger if they're being poisoned, the badger in question will appear quite insulted suffice to say. As it is, the badger simply trots about the area to stop every now and then, jotting something down on the clipboard.

She'll probably notice the other's presence eventually, but it's easier to just ignore the 'Peoples' at this point. With how many get themselves hauled away, it's best not to get attached she finds.

anode | transformers idw

[heltersmelter]

eden
[ anode is all about adventure, but she thinks she'd have preferred to skip this stop. onto the next one. this is...not really her speed.

the lush greenery reminds her a little of necroworld, but there's so much more here than the endless fields of blue flowers. actually -- speaking of, what happened to necroworld? some kind of botched teleportation from the functionist universe?

she's met organics in her travels, but never any like the talking animals here. they're not the most off-putting species she's met, but even those tau cetan worms with their innards on the outside were more engaging in conversation. the organics here sure as hell aren't telling her where lug is, or if she's even here. anode hasn't seen a single other mech around. ]

Luuug! Hey, Lug! C'mon, where are you? [ she grabs the attention of the nearest person, mostly by hop-stepping in front of them with a wave. ] Hey, I'm looking for my friend. Red and white, on the boxy side, cute as a button? Sometimes she's a backpack.

WILD CARD
[ so this place is...neat. anode's been a lot of places, but an interdimensional traveling carnival? she didn't even know that was on the list, but it's just been ticked. she just wishes lug were here to see it with her.

she's mostly just kicking around the carnival, checking things out, occasionally -- maybe not-so-occasionally -- touching stuff. if it looks valuable, she's got a little drill and a few caliper-ended cables coming out of her index finger to see just what it's made of. curiosity over shame, every time. ]

Hey, anybody know where I can get a pint around here? Of Engex, I mean. Doesn't seem to be much of a mech-y population here.

[drrdrrdrr]

[Amethyst actually kind of enjoys her new posture, but the one downside to being basically a quadruped now as that if she's scampering around somewhere and she has to look up at someone?

Well, she has to look a lot more up.

She sits up on her haunches, and then, after a moment's consideration, props herself up on her tail to give herself a little more height as she cranes her neck to get a better look at Anode.]

Uhh, I dunno if I've ever heard of any Engex, but I got some engine oil around somewhere... You a robot or something?

Terra | Kingdom Hearts

[landshaker]

Wildcard, within the carnival bounds

[It's awkward, being saved from a strange world with strange animals that had been fighting, but with some reassurance and explanation, Terra has accepted the result of it. He doesn't have a choice but to do so, considering that this world seems to be able to change outsiders and trap them regardless. It's a delay, but... Aqua and Ventus are fine. They're both fine, and this place, as explained to him, can offer new abilities. Maybe even the strength he's looking for.

But, polite is polite, and he owes a debt. To anyone he comes across, he greets politely, with a quick bow of his head.]

Thank you for saving me. I still don't really get what's going on, but do you need help with anything?

[stompadour]

Help?

[Jasper looks frankly offended by this suggestion.]