⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #4

[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 read the full premise here. Reserves and Applications are both currently OPEN. 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 and the players agree to it. If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position. Treasurer, Wardrobe Manager, and Acquisitioner are currently open. More roles that currently need filling are listed here! 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. Visitors to the carnival comes from many different worlds today, as the ringmaster casts out her recruitment lures. 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 (pictured above) 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. ► NOT YOUR WHEELHOUSE: Sometimes, even magical ferris wheels get stuck. The carnival's particular wheel is enchanted to create a particular out of this world experience - as you pass along the top, you feel as if they are so close to the sky that you can interact with the stars like baubles hanging above your head. Of course, the novelty probably wears off when the wheel is broken and you've been stuck enjoying the light show with some stranger for the last half hour. How are you going to pass the time? ► 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. ► WILL O' WISPS: The ringmaster's will o' wisps have gotten free, and she's asked that everyone keep and eye out and help her reclaim them regardless of their official jobs. Wisps are small creatures that burn both hot and cold and comes in a few different variations of the same basic theme. Handling them physically (or psionically, or magically, for that matter) is difficult due to their near intangible nature. Touching and being around them can result in confusion and a sensation similar to being comfortably drunk. ► 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! ► RIDDLE GAME: For a bit of fun, the ringmaster has left a variety of locked chests around the worker areas of the carnival, each with instructions and a riddle written on their lids. The chest will accept three guesses from each worker before refusing to respond to them any further. If you guess the right answer, the chest will open and you will be rewarded with some manner of fun magical knick knack. If you've run out of guesses, maybe you can conspire with someone else and promise to split the prize? ► CAPTURE THE... EGG?: The Ringmaster likes to keep things exciting for her employees, and this time she's devices a game that mixes an Easter egg hunt with capture the flag. She's hidden various metallic "eggs" around the carnival that chime like bells when people get near, and divided participants into three teams (red, blue, yellow of course.) The carnival has been divided into three zones, and the objective is to gather as many eggs as possible for your team (three points for gold, two for silver, one for copper.) However, when you are in a zone that doesn't belong to your team, if they can snatch off your team flag they can take you to "jail" and confiscate any eggs you may be holding for their team. When in doubt, bullshit the rules! This is a prompt, after all. ► 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

[flashover]

[Sure there was! That's how these traveling things showed up, right? Suddenly, without warning, after tossing handfuls of flyers in the air! It all seemed perfectly logical to Rin. Though there is a sort of... demonic air to the place. He can definitely sense something abnormal in there. But he doesn't let it bother him. Demons could be part of a circus if they wanted to! As long as they weren't hurting anyone.

A pause, then he completely deflates. In his rush to get over here, he didn't even think about that...] Oh... man! You're right! I can't ask you to spot me for EVERYTHING... Dangit... [he jerks his thumb behind him] I guess I gotta run back to the dorms right quick.

[the ticket taker, sensing the impending loss of an amazingly stupid individual, waves his hand at Rin] Hold on, young sir! We do offer a credit system. Play all you want tonight, and pay us back later. We are quite amenable to such things.

[perverses]

[ Well, hey, yeah, Rin would have a good point there. Carnivals are mysterious like that! But after pointing out that grand fact of everything costing something, Shima's about to turn and tell him that he's going to go on in ahead when the ticket taker intervenes. ]

Carnival's have those? [ On one hand, he's pretty sure that's a load of bull! One liar to another, right? ] I'm not sure that's such a good... idea...

[ On the other hand, man, he did just see a lot of really cute girls pass in through the ticket gate just one over from theirs. He trails off looking their way for a second or two before immediately searching his pockets. ]

Okay, okay, I'll cover both our tickets in, but you're on your own fro the games. Sounds like they're running a good deal right now, anyway. [ And if things go wrong, they just fight their way out! Easy! And by they, he definitely means making Rin do all the work, but that's neither here nor there yet. ] How much for two?

[flashover]

This one does. [the ticket-taker replies with a smile. No lies here! Just... omitting some details. Rin, meanwhile, is bouncing up and down. His enthusiasm is infectious] Oh man! Shima-kun, you're the BEST! I owe you, man. I owe you big time!

[you are so his best friend right now. And right! Rin has his koma sword, as always. It's too precious to leave at home, even when going to a carnival. Plus, he feels kind of naked without it... like going outside without pants.

To Shima's question, the ticket taker names a fair and reasonable price, well within a high school student's budget]

[perverses]

You're right! I am the best! [ and also the coolest! take that, Rin's coolness ranking list!!! ] Here you go! Two tickets, please!

[ Meaning, yes, Shima does pay the fair and reasonable price with his likely terrible and low high school student allowance, but hey, it's still enough. Admission paid, he throws a friendly arm around Rin's shoulders and hands ticket number two over. ]

Now let's go find those girls! [ Complete with dramatically pointing through the carnival's gates aaaand totally revealing the real reason Shima decided to help. Looks like some things never change... ] I bet we can catch up to them at the ferris wheel!

[ spoiler: no, they won't catch up to them at the ferris wheel. what a tragedy. ]

[flashover]

Hey, now, don't let it go to your head. [You're still just BARELY on the list, Shima. That whole double... triple..... quadruple?! agent thing has the list very confused about your standing!! ... But yes, this is points in your favor, pinky. Still! He grins and takes the ticket]

Nyeheheheh! I can't wait!! I wonder what kind of carnival food they have? I love stuff on sticks!! You can put anything on a stick and it's like, a hundred times better!! [wait, girls....?] What girls? Shima!! That's the only reason you wanted to come in here?!

[perverses]

Aw, c'mon, you just said it yourself, Okumura!

[ Being a triple agent should absolutely get him on the list! Spies are seriously cool! Cool and totally shameless, too, it would seem, since he doesn't look at all sheepish about the real reason he caved to buying admission. Of course the reason is girls! ]

What girls? All of them! It's a carnival! There's gonna be a ton of them, looking for people to ride rides with and to win prizes for them! Get a girl one of those stuffed animals and you're definitely getting her number! You should really try it. I bet you can win a ton with that weirdo strength of yours.

[flashover]

[YEAH, they're cool. Until they're stabbing YOU in the back. But Rin trusts that if push comes to shove, Shima will be loyal to his friends. He's gotta be, right? Right? He'll assume that until proven otherwise. And maybe even after proven otherwise.

Rin groans a bit, but it's good natured. Then he considers it. Shiemi had rebuffed him, so....]

I guess I wouldn't mind meeting some cute girls. Do you really think winning a stuffed toy would be instant phone number? Dude! ... I kind want the stuffed animals, though.

[perverses]

[ Hey, hey, hey, it's not like he would stab anyone in the back at a carnival! Again. This isn't even a school carnival, so it's a completely different situation and everything! Probably? Probably.

But on the much more important topic of girls, Shima can only grin and turn to head on into the carnival proper, waving for Rin to follow along. ]

Of course! Girls love it when you win 'em stuff! Especially cute stuff. Buuut if you'd rather have some dumb giant stuffed bear to snuggle with instead, I mean... you can do that. Kind of lame, if ya ask me, but I guess if that's your thing.

[flashover]

[Uh huh. Ok.

FINE. Girls. Let's talk about girls. And stuffed animals]

Hmmmmmm... [he's having to think about this REAL HARD...] I guess I'll just have to win some for girls and some for myself!! Yeah!!