⇨ 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

[fastestdraw]

[Ha, there might've been a time in which Easel might've hopped right to clarifying what he is right off the bat - but after riding with a skeleton who probably never belonged to a human and yet who is not a demon for a bit, hey, he'll pick right up perkily! Apparently, being a skeleton or skeleton-like is a strangely... universal thing.]

Well, at around the time you showed up, there were only two, countin' me, but so far, I seen you and one other new feller around tonight!

[Just enough of a pause to acknowledge that he's switching from one at-hand thread of communication to another!]

Y'all got a name, there, friend?

[swordfishtrombones]

Yohoho! I'm glad you asked. It's Brook -- "Soul King" Brook!

[He had a couple other nicknames but whatever, what was important right now was this new skeleton fellow.]

To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?

[fastestdraw]

That'd be Easel!

[Gradually picking up emphasis and drawl.]

Patrolman and mercenary, at your service -- the pleasure there'd be all mine! It's a good crowd we got here, but a lot of the folks here who ain't sure right away what they're gettin' into start off shyer than rabbits or stiffer than sun-baked bones.

[Insert trumpet "womp-woooommmmp" here.Increasingly emphatic and drawled.]

Can't help but give a hoo-rah to a fella who's right-off in the spirit of things for a good shindig!

Y'all really "King" of anything, or...?

[He halfway thinks to finish that sentence - but, ah, he peaks it nice and high with a tilt of his head to hopefully convert that sufficiently to a straight-up polite, conversational question.]

[swordfishtrombones]

Oh, so you're basically a knight!

[wrong trope but whatever he'd roll with this one]

It's a name given to me by my fans. As it implies, I'm the King of Soul. No, stop, you're embarrassing me!

[who was he talking to

how was he blushing]

[fastestdraw]

[Who, indeed. Easel's able to emote some measure of "...?" back.]

...Y'all been out in the sun a bit tonight, eh, partner?

[He means drunk. God knows a good chunk of the folks in attendance are at least somewhat by now. (Albeit Easel himself has had a few. And also, he wouldn't say "God knows", specifically.)

But! He laughs a bit into proceeding.]

Well! I was prob'ly more of a knight back in the days long before I signed on with the carnival. But - [A rising ehhh...! - Easel'll go with it, too.] - if y'all wanna think of it that way, I ain't hardly one to fuss those things!

[And - "fans", Brook said!]

So y'all are a musician at home, are ya?

[swordfishtrombones]

Yes. I'm the ship's musician, to be exact.

[He unrolled a yellowed wanted poster, which depicted... yeah, that was Brook, all right.]

Recently, these old bones of mine have even received a new bounty! How about it, eh? Of course, I'll need to work even harder in the future!