lostcarnival | ⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

Entry tags:

⇨ 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

[ Somehow, when Chiaki returned from her adventure to the food table, she ended up only a few chairs away from the strange man in a top hat. She's still mostly watching the stage, fascinated by every new person that arrives there. But the person a few feet away from her is ... interesting, as well.

He also doesn't have any food in front of him. ] ... Have you eaten?

[ It takes a second or two before he realizes, yes, that was directed at him. It isn't something anyone typically asks him, more something he'd pester certain other people with on occasion. He turns to look at Chiaki, brow furrowed a little as though he's puzzled.

Why would anyone want to know? ]

No? No, I have not, not yet.

[ That top hat is just really strange to see being actually worn, really. It's enough to keep her response from being immediate, and she shakes herself out of her momentary silence. ]

Here... [ She passes him one of her two plates, which has some pastries and dips on it. ] Do you want some?

[ He'd have been amused to know that, out of everything else here, the top hat manages to be strange. The plate gets a wary look, as just about everything else here has gotten by now, but it looks normal enough. ]

If you're offering. [ Which she clearly is, so he'll help himself to one of the pastries, but that's all. ] Thank you. I didn't quite dare passing by the... [ Whatever this is, whatever. He'll gesture at whatever poor soul is singing now with the pastry. ] By that, to get to anything.

Yeah. [ She doesn't have as big of an appetite as she thought she did, anyway.

Her attention is about equally divided between the stage and him. ] Mm... someone else was up, when I went. It's strange here, isn't it?

[ He can't really claim to have one either, though he'll hang onto the pastry. ]

Strange is one word for it. Unbelievable might be better.

Yeah. [ She nods enthusiastically. ]

It's been like that all night... these aren't things that should be outside of video games, I don't think. There was a naga, and a skeleton...

[ She toys with her game console, turned off for once, but considering turning it back on. It's familiar, at least. ]

[ Whatever video games are is a mystery to him, as is the device she's fidgeting with. He could ask, but there's something slightly more important that she mentioned. ]

Skeleton? What skeleton?

[ Chances are he's spotted a snake person or two at this point, but a skeleton? Did she mean one just laying around? ]

A walking skeleton. [ She scans the room for him. She's sure she saw him earlier. ] I think he brought his dogs.

A walking skeleton with dogs? [ Well then. He'll begin looking around them, too, because who wants to miss that? ] Perhaps they've already gone on and buried him...

He seemed pretty lively. [ The memory is still fresh in her mind. ] Maybe he teleported somewhere else...

Haven't you seen things?

Too many things, I'd say. [ He's not even sure what to think about teleporting skeletons with dogs. ] It is difficult to believe any of it, yet here it all is, right in front of our eyes. I could almost wonder if it's a dream.

What if it is? [ She turns her game on and starts playing it again, the tinny sounds and brightly colored visuals a comforting distraction. ]

It's almost too much like a game... [ Her new cat ears twitch again and she frowns. ] But it feels real, at least.

[ Even stranger is, when compared to everyone else wandering around in the cookhouse, he hadn't even noticed the ears before now. Is he really that distracted? Well, yes, probably. Now he can't help but frown at them. ]

If it is a dream, I would very much like to know what was wrong with last night's dinner. [ The last time a dream was this realistic, he was in the middle of almost dying. He should hope that isn't the case again. ] But I don't think I would treat this as a game, either. Ah, are those...?

[ He points towards her ears with the very same pastry he'd picked up just before. Are they real? Are they normal? There's talking bears and walking skeletons here, so he can't possibly guess at what anyone's norm is anymore. ]

[ In the dark, they're almost barely visible, but they are twitching and noticing little sounds. A bit away from the noise of the party, Chiaki's finally starting to get used to them. ]

Hm? Oh... [ She reaches up to touch one. ] They're new. Because of my contract. You didn't get any... ?

[ That, that gives him a great deal of pause, along with a moment of dread that's only apparent on his face for a few seconds. He's sure his ears are perfectly normal (and it's a great effort to not reach up and check, let me tell you), but what else? ]

...no. [ He says at last, running through a mental checklist of what he's certain hasn't changed. He hasn't felt anything change. Of course, he also hasn't been by a mirror since making his own contract, or else he'd have noticed his brown eyes have since taken on a silver hue instead. ] No, I don't believe I did. Certainly not ears like that. I...

[ But is he missing something here? Perhaps, perhaps. It's not really a good spot to worry about it now. ]

I am sorry. I never asked your name, miss. You are...?

[ So he simply changes the topic instead. ]

Chiaki Nanami. [ The concern's too obvious for her to ignore. ] Sorry... I think it happens to everyone, eventually... at least a little...

[ She scans the crowd and points out a tall girl with four arms and pink scales. ] Mm... like her... or the skeleton with the tail. They've been here a little longer.

[ Four arms and pink scales, he'd have thought that girl something entirely other than human in any other case. ]

So I had been wondering before, how everyone working here had become so odd. I can only blame myself for not realizing it sooner.

[ He says that with a sigh and sets the pastry aside. He'll eat it later, honest. Probably. Eventually? But for now, he'd prefer to go back to puffing on his pipe a bit, while the ashes are still smoldering. Though, before he does, he'll give her a somewhat polite nod. ]

Miss Nanami, then. I am John Childermass. I hope this evening has not been too overwhelming for you.

[ Seeing as it has been for him, in a few ways, though he doesn't care to show it too much. ]

A little. [ She goes back to her game. Her ears keep twitching and noticing new things. It's a little distracting. Not quite enough to throw her off, though. ]

Someone said something about magic... it's a strange carnival.

... Oh, it's nice to meet you. [ Manners, whoops. ]

[ If manners mattered, Childermass wouldn't be leaning back in his chair with his boots up on the table. Magic, though. He'll chew the end of his pipe idly for a moment, dwelling on lord knows what, but he'll eventually speak up again to say, ]

It is very much about magic in this place. Faerie has always been full of traps like this, although the carnival does not strike me as a very malicious one just yet.

[ Only strange, as she said. ]

Faeries... is that what's causing all of this?

[ She's still trying to figure out the nature of everything. Other than "there's just lots of magic," it's a little hard to comprehend. ]

The Ringmaster has a fondness for contracts and stealing mortals.

[ Also "there's lots of magic" is valid, very, very valid. There's the fact that he himself used one of the faerie roads to access the carnival in the first place, too, but that's only one way out of possibly hundreds of showing up here. He won't mention it. ]

And transforming them, it would seem. So, yes, that would be what I believe.

Hmm... [ It does sound vaguely like what some faeries do in the games she plays, now that she thinks about it. But that's information that Jonathan knows too, which... is interesting. ]

It sounds like something you know about... is that your talent?

[ No, John's talent is babysitting England's biggest magical baby... or was, anyway. That's a strange question, though, and leads to a puzzled look on his part. ]

I am not sure I would call being well-read a talent, Miss Nanami.

It could be! If you're more well-read than anybody in the world, you could be the Super High School Level ...

[ Hmm. ] Researcher?

Not that... that really matters, though. I guess I'm just wondering if it's something that you like doing.

⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

orientation

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)