lostcarnival | ⇨ 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

"I throw concerts! I'm also fond of more intimate venues, but I don't think they kidnapped me to play in bars. Yohoho!" He sounded... weirdly at peace with this.

"Do you know any instruments, Mr. Goku?"

"Uh...I dunno about instruments. I can sing?" Sort of. He can carry a tune. But he figures he ought to offer up something. They seem to have lots of shows and stuff here, so maybe he should pick up a talent?

"Did you say you were kidnapped...?"

"Yes. A couple of Long-Armed fellows caught me and stuffed me in a cage to use as a sideshow attraction! That's how I got started in show business." This all sounded terrible, but Brook looked back fondly on those nice fellows who had stuffed him in that metal box.

They really weren't too bad when you got to know them......

"This place reminds me a little of that time. People crowding around, staring at you..."

It did sound terrible. Goku has been kidnapped before too (or at least, thrown into a jail that he had to bust out of), so he knows all about that sort of thing. It doesn't seem to bother Brook so much, but maybe he's just not as upset anymore.

"Sorry about that," Goku says, apologizing to him for what seems like the hundredth time.

"I was in a cage for a long time, too. But no one came around to stare at me." It was a lot lonelier than that.

"What? Really? That sounds super lonely!" It was bad enough, being kidnapped -- getting ignored in the bargain was adding insult to injury!

"So how'd you make good your escape, eh? Did it involve any exciting brawls?" From Brook's manner, he was hoping that the answer was 'yes'.

"It kinda was. Lonely, I mean." But for a guy who'd been holed up in a cave by himself for 500 years, Goku certainly doesn't look that bad off. It's because the joy of being found and freed had taken over his years-long feelings of sadness and filled him up with something else instead.

He perks up when Brook asks about his escape.

"Haha, nope, no brawl. Even though I've been in lots of those since then. It was Sanzo who found me and let me out." Goku smiles brightly. It was the best day of his life, and it shows as he remembers. He could've sworn Sanzo was pure sunlight. The cave had been so dark and dank, compared to the warmth that radiated from Sanzo then.

"Sanzo, is it? I hope you at least got to exact a little payback afterwards." If Goku's captors hadn't even bothered to let him out themselves -- goodness.

"Do you know, I haven't been in a single fight since I got here! Well, except for that one fellow who tried to kill me. But other than that, no one's even taken a swing!"

Can you imagine...?

"Maybe it's quiet for the moment because it's the off-season?"

"Haha. I dunno who put me in there, so I couldn't really beat 'em up for it. Anyway, I might've done something bad to deserve it..." He shrugs. Goku hasn't really thought too much about who put him in there. He only remembers how cold and lonely it was, and even those memories seem to bother him less over time.

"...someone tried to kill you? Here? What happened?"

Now Brook got all in a huff. "Why, I was just minding my own business, stuffing myself... er, partaking in some of the excellent food. That's when some whippersnapper came out of nowhere and started interrogating me!

"I started to tell him why I was here -- which was no mean feat, mind you, since he was an interrupter -- and then he pulled out a cudgel and tried to smash my face in! ...Though I don't have a face. Yohohoho!" Honestly, kids these days.

"Whoa! Did this ... uh ... whipper-snapper know you? Why would he just attack you for no reason?"

At least, Goku assumes it's for no reason. Because Brook is such a nice guy (yes, he's already concluded this after just a short conversation!) he can't really imagine what he could've done to deserve getting his face (or non-face) bashed in!

"I have no idea! Young people these days... Not that the fellow got very far, since Mr. Sans stole the fellow's stick. It seems that young man is a troublemaker around here." Not that that particularly surprised Brook, who was still indignant about the affair.

"I hope the people here have been more accommodating to you, Mr. Goku. Not that there's anything wrong with a good scrap now and then, mind you."

"Whoa. Okay."

Well, maybe this place wasn't going to be all food and fun and games, after all. He did know he would have to work, but aren't carnivals supposed to be basically fun?

"Are you good at fighting?" he asks, with a somewhat excited gleam.

"Yohohoho! I'm pretty good for an old bag of bones, if I do say so myself! ...Oh, was that too cheeky of me?" Nevertheless, Brook lifted his cane.

"This is my weapon, Soul Solid. It's a concealed weapon called a shikomizue. Some friends of mine sharpened it for me before I arrived here."

"Hehehehe." Okay, that's kind of funny.

"Oh neat! I've got a weapon, too. It's a staff that can grow when I tell it to. Maybe we should spar, sometime!"

"Ah, a mock duel or two? Certainly!" A staff that grew? It was more likely than you'd think. Or at the very least, it didn't seem implausible to Brook. The world was full of strange and wondrous things.

"For my part, I believe I'm getting a little hungry! I think I'll stop off for a bit of refreshment before my next practice."

A growing staff is quite handy! It's gotten him out of a pinch more than once. The mention of refreshment would usually have Goku hungry enough to follow along, but since it's own bottomless stomach that got him into this contract to begin with, he's less enthusiastic this time. (This hesitation will only last a day or two. And besides, he's already eaten tons!)

"Awesome! I can radio you when I've got some time..."

Though, he's not exactly sure how that works, yet.

"Do I need your frequency or something?"

"Yo ho ho! I believe you do." Brook took out a slip of paper and wrote a number in an elegant hand. Technically, he didn't really have to, since his frequency was so simple and frankly no one gave out their contact information with actual paper any more, but there it was:

830.00000

No, he probably did need to write it down for Goku. He's had a lot of remember today, with contracts and orientations and names and so on. He takes the slip of paper and grins.

"Thanks! Mine's uh ... 385.99 um...999? I don't have any paper though.."

⇨ GAME START INTRO LOG!

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