⇨ 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

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.]

[landshaker]

[... Oh! Did he say the wrong thing?]

You all worked hard to free me, so I think the least I could do is help you with something in return.

[stompadour]

[There is never a right thing to say to Jasper.]

Huh. Well, I don't need any help. [She tilts her head to look down at him, planting one big meaty hand on her hip, or, like, what would be a hip if her waist didn't just attach to the front end of a horse now.] Didn't they give you a job yet?

[landshaker]

[Terra, in return, just sort of rests his hands at his sides comfortably.]

No, not yet. I thought it might be best if I was proactive in helping, though. A lot of people got hurt, didn't they?

[stompadour]

Some of them did, yeah.

[She jerks her head to her left.] Medical tent's that way if you want to help out with that. Are you a 'doctor'?

[You can kind of hear the quotation marks. Gems don't have doctors.]

[landshaker]

A doctor? [Does he look like one, or something?] No, I'm not one. I know a few healing spells, but I'm not very good at them. I'm afraid I might just get in everyone's way.

[stompadour]

Then you should probably stay out of the way until you get an actual job. What are you good at? [She's eyeing him critically; she has picked up by now that humans are not always actually good at something.]

[landshaker]

[Not jumping immediately to murder as a course of action, that's what.

He puts his hand to his chin, considering for a moment.] Well, I have combat training, and I've fought monsters before. I have some practical knowledge about other worlds too.

[Practical for a world hopper! Which... it's probably fine to say to an inter-dimensional carnival? It's weird to admit, and surely the Master would be upset in any other case, but this time it seems appropriate.]

[stompadour]

[She raises her eyebrows, clearly having been expecting less -- or at least fewer relevant skills.]

Well, you can probably be useful later on, then, but there's no point making a nuisance of yourself now. Did you do any fighting back in Eden?

its so hard working with 15 icons

[landshaker]

No. I didn't feel it would have been right of me too. I didn't know who the enemy was at the time, and I didn't want to risk injuring someone. [A pause, and Terra considers for a moment.] Is fighting common here?

the worst

[stompadour]

[She gives him an appraising look, and nods. At least this one seems reasonable. Definitely more reasonable than average, around here.]

It happens pretty often. You probably won't get bored.

jasper immediately regrets thinking terra is reasonable

[landshaker]

Well, I would rather it was more peaceful, but I guess every world has it's troubles. [Why does it seem like all he ever does is fight?] How often is often? What normally goes on here?

[stompadour]

[honestly terra PEACE IS FOR LOSERS

Jasper's getting more or less used to humans not necessarily prioritising the things they're good at in life, but that doesn't mean she has to approve of it.]

Well, we used to travel to different worlds to perform, but apparently now we're being chased by fae... so the Ringmaster is trying to make sure we can defend ourselves. That's what we were in Eden for, to get the Mirror, before we got caught up in local politics...

[periphrasing]

[Peridot is out stretching her newly digitigrade legs when Terra approaches her. This particular change hasn't exactly been easy; her sense of balance is thrown, her center of gravity shifted from what she's used to. Fortunately it's not the first time that she's been forced to adjust to a new method of ambulation, so at the very least she's at least familiar with this particular category of frustration.

She pauses mid-step and cocks her head when addressed, giving Terra an appraising look.]

Who, me? Need help? No. If anything, it looks like you're the one that could use my help--

[As she says this, she tries to lean back against a nearby stall in a casual sort of way... before promptly losing her balance and falling over ass backwards, smacking her head on the stall counter as she goes down.]

[landshaker]

[Terra watches Peridot promptly eat shit as she tries to lean, and he reaches out to grab her just a little too slow, but none the less, he's there with a hand outstretched to help her up, if she'll take it.]

You're right, I still don't fully understand what's going on. I'd be grateful if you could explain it to me a little better.

[periphrasing]

[Hold on, she has to groan in pain for a second first. She does take that hand though, struggling to her feet and wobbling a little as she regains her balance.]

Well. Lucky for you, you've come to the right gem. [She says as if that whole 'falling on her ass' incident didn't just happen.] What did you want to know?

[landshaker]

[A 'Gem'? Maybe it's her species.]

I've been told I have to give my services to this carnival in exchange for my rescue. [Which is fair, honestly, he's not going to complain about that.] I suppose I'd like to know a little more about what I'm expected to do here.

[periphrasing]

[She cocks her head slightly, flicking her tail thoughtfully.]

Well, that depends. What are you good at doing? Punching things? [She eyes him critically up and down.] You don't seem like the engineering type to me...

[landshaker]

Not so much punching, but I'm decent at fighting, and I know a decent amount about other worlds already, so travelling to different ones isn't new. I have some magical skills as well, but it's something I can definitely work on improving.

[He doesn't. Comment on engineering because! Terra has no idea what that is. Sorry, Peridot.] But if you need heavy lifting done, I can do that too.

[periphrasing]

[What a good, polite lad! It's too bad Peridot doesn't have any particular appreciation for it.]

Sounds to me like you'd do best in the Militia then.

[If she sounds a little bit annoyed or disappointed, its only because her own department is so small at the moment. All the new folks seem to be going to Militia or Diplomacy or Administration.

She brightens up when she continues, though:]

Having experience with scouting other worlds is a definite bonus. You'll want to go talk to Lambert; he and Sans are both technically co-supervisors of the Militia, but Lambert is the one in charge of all the scouting and infiltration stuff. Though, I guess they might be able to use you in Acquisitions too... How good are you at stealing stuff?

how dare you ask terra to do a crime

[landshaker]

[The annoyance isn't lost on Terra, and he's sure maybe he could learn about engineering? But Peridot's question catches him offguard, and he really can't help the face he makes.]

I.. would rather not steal anything. I'm sure I'd be able too, though. [Please don't make him steal. Eraqus would be rolling in his grave. If he isn't already.]

[periphrasing]

[Peridot shrugs.]

Meh... If that's your attitude about it, I don't think Childermass will be interested in having you on his team. Definitely talk to Lambert, though. You can do scouting or patrol instead!

[landshaker]

I think I'd be much better suited for that. [But... Stealing things is Wrong and Terra is conflicted he's working for people who steal.] What does Lambert look like and where can I normally find him? I should introduce myself, if we're going to be working together.

[periphrasing]

[Peridot has absolutely no qualms about stealing, sorry Terra. Someone else will have to explain to him that they mostly just steal out of self defense.]

Well... Usually he's hanging around the training course. If he's not there, you could try checking his trailer in the supervisor's grove. As for what he looks like... He's probably around your height? Scraggly short beard, big nasty scars down this side of his face-- [she makes a gesture at her face to indicate the location of said facial hair, and then the scars.] And he's got these big curly horns on the sides of his head!