lostcarnival | ⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

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⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

Who: EVERYONE!
When: NOW!
Where: Around the carnival grounds, and in the Cookhouse.
What: Carnival worker orientation, Ringmaster style.
Warnings: Alcohol consumption, maybe drugs. Other things?

BRAVE NEW WORLD↴

► THE NEW: It doesn't matter when you entered the tent to discuss your new contract with the Ringmaster, you exit it beneath a blanket of stars. Pointedly alien stars at that - currently the carnival grounds are being treated to a show of shooting stars, and what appear to be unnaturally large and living green moons hanging just a bit too close. The carnival was bustling when you entered, but now it's in the latter stages of being shut down for the night. If you manage to find a clock, it states that it's around 8PM.

Workers from during the day will be passing through the grounds, attending to various pieces of business. None of them will seem very surprised or concerned by the goings on, though some may be sympathetic enough to pause and answer your questions. If you put some effort into finding out how it became nighttime, you may discover that it's been anywhere from a few hours to 7 days since you originally signed your contract. Someone may explain to you that it was probably some kind of time bubble, meant to keep you out of the way until the Ringmaster had time to deal with you.

Every few minutes another new person will pop out of the tent, looking just as confused and under the impression that they had only just finished discussing things with the Ringmaster. Weird.

She passed you a note before you left. Opening it up, you'll see you've been assigned a trailer number, and been given the instructions to drop off any excess belongings and do what you can to get settled in. You have until exactly 9:36PM to do so, because that's when you'll be expected to attend what is listed only as "WORKER'S ORIENTATION".

This is, perhaps, more abrupt than you were expecting - but what can you do? You're here for the long haul.

► THE OLD: If you've ever seen a mass recruitment before, then this is no surprise. People enter the tent when they're recruited, and then sometimes how up again days later when the Ringmaster is ready for them. She isn't a big fan of wasting her time on individual orientations when she's expecting a crowd.

Maybe you're too jaded to all of this to care much, but you'll see the newbies wandering around, probably confused and maybe a bit lost. Maybe you're the kind whose is sympathetic enough to pause your role in clean up and give them some directions, and maybe a word of confidence. Maybe you'll just jeer at them, because you're some kind of asshole. Either way, you expect you'll have the chance to see them later tonight.

Whether by world of mouth, radio, or written note, supervisors will be passing out the following message: all workers are to report to the Cookhouse at 9:36PM sharp for "orientation." If you are at all familiar with how things go around here, you probably have a good idea of what this implies.

Mandatory Karaoke Night.

MANDATORY KARAOKE NIGHT!!!↴

At 9:36PM, the main dining hall of the Cookhouse will be found heavily decorator with various coloured lights and at least one disco ball made of what is ostensibly high karat gems. There are a bunch of cushions and additional seating set up along with the usual tables, and at the head of the call there is a state set up - a karaoke stage. For veteran workers, this is no surprise. Karaoke nights are fairly frequent as activities go, even if they are not usually mandatory. Some of you probably have signature songs already prepared.

The karaoke machine is set up with mostly karaoke tracks that would be popular in the 90's and 00's on the average modern earth, with a few that are more recent. It also has some other random stuff from other worlds that people rarely sing because they are confusing and in languages no one understands. Here is a big karaoke list for your inspiration! The more stereotypically karaoke the better.

Beyond that, there is plenty of food and snacks that were prepared by the cooks earlier, as well as a bar set up for alcohol and other vices. The selection is, as most things in the carnival, eclectic.

Music will be played in between if nobody is singing, and otherwise veterans are encouraged to bring along their own fun and show the newbies a good time. The Ringmaster does ask that vets attempt to be courteous to their new coworkers.

It's just being a good host.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

► BRAVE NEW WORLD (JUMPING WAY TOO HIGH)
"Whoa..."

The sky is stunning, from the first moment Steven steps outside. Simultaneously awe inspiring and terrifying, just like the whole concept of space has been to him lately. He's seen a lot more of it than he thought he would at an early age, but this is the first time it's been something truly alien - despite what Jasper and the Gem Empire might have wanted for him.

Somehow, that's when he realizes it. This isn't just about protecting his dad - or, it doesn't have to be. Maybe for just a little while - for a year and a day, exactly - he can be free of all of that. He doesn't have to worry about what will happen to the Earth, or his home. He doesn't have to worry about what will happen to Jasper, Bismuth, or Lapis, or the rest of the Crystal Gems. The looming war that's been on his mind for what seems like forever is so far away from them as to be meaningless.

And when he's done here he can go back to it, without having missed a thing. Without having left anyone alone. The lack of responsibility is almost shaking. He swallows hard, trying to hold in this sudden and dizzying wave of emotion, but he can't.

He starts running, and he jumps. And he doesn't come back down.

"WHOOO!" he yells as loud as he can, spinning slowly through the air as if he's jumping on a surface even more forgiving than the moon. He hangs in the air, untouched by gravity, laughing and drifting, and eventually crying, just a little. Just a couple tears, that he rubs away as he giggles.

He doesn't know if he'll ever come down.

► MANDATORY KARAOKE (MAKING THE BEST OF IT)
The only thing he has to do now is make sure his dad is okay. If he can do that... maybe he and his dad could be free to just be happy, if only for a little while!

He practically vaults into the room, almost taking off into the air again with an excited skip, and flipping across the floor in a slow motion cartwheel before eventually finding his footing again. Then he's into everything, looking at everything, and checking out all of the food especially. Then, as soon as he's confirmed that something is great, he brings it right back to his dad to show off, to try to prove that there's something good about all of this.

At the very least, he can show his dad he's having a good time, so maybe the guilt he knows he must be feeling will go away.

"Hi, I'm Steven Universe!"

There's a good chance that if you end up standing anywhere near him for too long that he'll end up talking to you - introducing himself, and asking any polite questions that he can think of. Everyone looks so weird. Did they all come here like this? The universe is so much bigger than he ever imagined!

"I never thought orientation would involve singing!"

Fun fact: the carnival actually employs a few assholes with wings and who, coincidentally, use those wings way too often.

Joker's used to it, now, and doesn't go careening into other people or buildings at all anymore. Once you get into the air enough, you start to learn the little things that come with sharing that airspace with other people. It's just that.... Usually those other people also have wings, and thus can be seen coming.

They don't usually just bounce straight up into the air.

The good news? No midair collision! Joker merely goes flapping back at the sudden blur of a child that pops up in front of him, a wordless exclamation on his lips. Once he realize what's going on, however, he starts to laugh a bit.

"Well, and a hello to you too!"

Steven is still slowly circling in the air even as he sees Jokey dodge him - as surprising as that is, he's not really able to change his trajectory that much. He mostly just follows his course and gawks as Joker comes back around - the wings are amazing, but not really because they're surprising to see at this point.

Steven bubbles out another laugh, his face flushing with emotions, a little unprepared for conversation but eager to try all the same.

"H-Hi! I'm Steven. I just started working here, I guess!"

Kids, kids, he hates it when the Ringmaster recruits kids, but what can you do? The only thing that can be done is to grin and make things a little easier on them, and that’s what Joker does now as he flaps in place.

“Well, pleasure ta meet ya, Steven~.” When he grins, it’s bright, bitterness hidden nice and neat. It’s his best skill. “What did ya start doin’ work here as, a balloon?” With a bit of a twist, he flies a loop around the boy, chuckling louder.

He gasps softly, bringing his hands to the side of his face in appreciation.

"Oh, you're wings are so pretty," he says, watching as Joker swoops back around, completely distracted from his previous thoughts. He giggles. "Maybe, though! I'm supposed to be a showman!"

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Brave New World

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Brave New World

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MANDATORY KARAOKE

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Mandatory Karaoke

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mandatory pointing

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White Man Can't Jump

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karaoke

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Making the Best of What We Got!

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