⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[motivenotfound]

"Tanyuu cut it? Are you serious?!" Mari's voice is definitely a little louder than socially appropriate for a conversation about haircuts; her words are a little clumsy, too. She also doesn't actually remove her hand from Ginko's hair--his attempt to tactfully disentangle her is ignored entirely.

"You should get her to cut it again, then! But better this time. Like... up to here, maybe!" She uses another hand to gesture vaguely at a point to the side of Ginko's head, mostly outside of his peripheral vision. "You'd look pretty cool like that!"

[dontpokethat]

Ginko is rapidly regretting starting this conversation. He gets a little more insistent in his efforts to remove her hand from his head. "--Yes, I am. It was a while ago, but it was her. And I appreciate the suggestion, but looking cool isn't really at the top of my priorities."

[motivenotfound]

"Yeah, I can tell!" Mari, no. "But shouldn't it be? After all, your appearance is the first thing you say to someone!" It's an introduction! Even if you're not big on words, your clothes and hair speak volumes. Like a job interview, right?

"You're an adult, you should know better." Is she scolding him?

Yes. Yes, she is.

"Looking scruffy and plain is like saying you don't care about other people--or that you don't care about yourself." And then Mari smiles at him in that uncanny way.

She wonders which one Ginko is.

[dontpokethat]

Mari, if you're still wondering why you make him nervous, stuff like this is why.

Ginko frowns, not saying anything until she seems to be finished - at which point he moves to finish escaping her hand and stand up. "Well, who knows. Maybe I don't." He doesn't say which he's referring to, of course, and with the deadpan way he speaks it could easily be a joke - even if they both know it isn't.

"But sitting on the floor like this doesn't make you look particularly good either. If you're so concerned about appearances, you might want to move to a chair."

[motivenotfound]

Awww, what's wrong, Ginko? Can't take a little self-awareness?

Mari just laughs. Drunk or not, she knows when she's hit the mark. One shot, one hit. Bullseye.

"Oooh~ Mysterious!" Ginko likes to act all mysterious, too, albeit probably unintentionally. Covering one eye with his shaggy hair, keeping selective company, never giving straight answers about himself. But there's a big difference between being pretentious and being avoidant.

"Lol, you think so, do you? And are you gonna help me up?" Because she's taller than you, Ginko. And you didn't want her touching your hair, right? But now you've volunteered yourself, so--

"Okay, be a gentleman!"

Pick an arm. Any arm!

[dontpokethat]

He's got plenty of self-awareness, he just doesn't want other people knowing stuff about him. And especially not talking about it.

...Oh goddammit he probably should have seen this coming. Ginko's lips press together into a thin line, because he's fairly certain Mari is doing this at least partly to spite him, but... he might as well.

"Alright, come on, then." He crouches down again and takes hold of one of her lower hands - he's not sure how much of a grip he could get on those upper paws - then stands up to pull her to her feet.