{ haunted carnival | test drive #08 - october 2022 }

[dreamposts]

HAUNTED CARNIVAL

Full details on everything can be found here, but an important reminder that this event log doubles as our Test Drive Meme and information can be found in this section.

This means any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in October and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of October 25 through 31 (this log is forward dated to the 25th). However, outside characters can only thread within this log, so for those seriously considering the game, you are welcome to use non-festival prompts for your toplevels. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count October as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual as people randomly disappear already, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open Tuesday, October 25th and Applications will open on November 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until January.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view; updated 10/28)

American McGee's Alice - Alice Liddell
Avatar: The Last Airbender - Azula
BlazBlue - Noel Vermillion
Case Study of Vanitas - Vanitas
Dangan Ronpa - Chiaki Nanami
Devil May Cry - Lady
Final Fantasy VII - Cloud Strife
Genshin Impact - Albedo
Genshin Impact - Eula Lawrence
Genshin Impact - Kaeya
Genshin Impact - Razor
Great Ace Attorney - Ryunosuke Naruhodo
Helluva Boss - Blitzø
Helluva Boss - Octavia
Jujutsu Kaisen - Fushiguro Megumi
Kaze Hikaru - Okita Souji
Library of Ruina - Angela
Mikagura School Suite - Yuto Akama
My Hero Academia - Bakugo Katsuki
Octopath Traveler - Ophilia
Original Character - Kate Galloway (Jigoku CRAU)
Original Character - Marie Daenthelm
Original Character - Pauline Bonheur
Persona 3 - Ken Amada
Promare - Lio Fotia
Shadow Hearts: Covenant - Yuri Hyuga
Tales of Berseria - Magilou
Tales of Berseria - Rokurou Rangetsu
Tales of Berseria - Velvet Crowe
Tales of Hearts - Chalcedony Akerman
Tales of Hearts - Hisui Hearts (Aefenglom CRAU)
Tales of the Rays - Baldr
Touken Ranbu - Hizen Tadahiro
Touken Ranbu - Ichimonji Norimune
Transformers IDW - Soundwave
Your Wings and Mine - Shealtiel

I. CARNIVAL FUN

The moment a guest enters the carnival grounds, there is a high chance (read: optional) they will find themselves changed in some way to fit the spooky, haunted atmosphere. Instead of just wearing a vampire costume, the character will actually turn into one. Of course, how much of a transformation varies between complete to partial changes. It should be noted that this is only a cosmetic and ability change—no matter what someone changes into, they won't have any personality changes…unless one of the carnival attendants cast a small enchantment to make it so. Of course this is by chance as well (read: optional).

A. Haunted Food. While there is some standard fare carnival food around, the Haunted Carnival has some unique items with even more interesting effects:

Caramel Apples: Tart green apples dipped in caramel and decorated with chocolate to look like they’re covered in spiders and spider webs. Eating one of these will have the dreamer feeling crafty and industrious, just like spiders themselves often are. Also, the idea of eating bugs (or even other spiders?!) suddenly seems strangely appealing…
Cherry Blood Popcorn: Popcorn drenched in cherry syrup and decorated with candy bones. The combination of sugar and dreamotion energy leaves the eater feeling giddy and cheerful, somewhat in contrast to the gruesome appearance of the treat itself.
Funnel "Brain" Cakes: Funnel cakes colored to look like brains when served. Comes in regular or zombie brain varieties. Eating one makes you feel lethargic and hungry, like the only thing that matters is your next snack fix, but you’re not willing to do much more than shamble toward it.
Mummies in a Blanket: Small hot dogs wrapped in biscuit dough and decorated to look like mummies. After eating this, you may or may not want to wrap yourself into a blanket and take a nap—ideally somewhere dark and spooky.

B. FUN AND GAMES. Mixed in with the food vendors are several booths advertising a variety of carnival games, including but not limited to the ones below.. The prizes you win may or may not be cursed. Best of luck!

NERF Gun Shooting Gallery: Use dreamotion to shoot foam darts from a gun at various ghostly and ghouly targets lined up on a platform. Advanced players may want to try their hand at making the guns shoot other objects. Water? Fire? Glitter bombs? The only limit is one’s imagination.
Ring Toss: A series of witch hats are lined up, and the objective is to toss rings on the hats for points. Did something just peek up from under one of the hats? It’s probably nothing to worry about.
Potion Bottles: A variation of the milk bottles game wherein you throw balls to knock over flasks and beakers filled with strangely-colored liquid. In most cases, the spilled potion is totally harmless. Once in a while, however, it may have some interesting effects on the player and/or the booth itself.
Slime Pit: There’s a giant pit of slime with a sign next to it: prizes within for those willing to get a bit messy! Said prizes range from giant candy bars to random silly toys to skeletal limbs…? Oh that belongs to the skeleton having fun in the pit, they might want it back.

II. ATTRACTIONS

A. Hall of Mirrors. A classic maze of mirrors that are usually filled with special effects to make one's reflection look distorted. In the beginning the distortions are more humorous, making one look super skinny or extremely curvy. However, the deeper one goes, the reflections begin to look a bit…strange. The mirrors begin to reflect the "worst" side of an individual, but in a more embarrassing manner. When they first wake up in the morning, having a bad hair day, dressed poorly, being lazy on the couch—mostly benign things that would be embarrassing to show others. But there are some that may reveal one's darker self they wish to hide from others and are forced to face—especially when the reflections will step out and follow the original until the end of the maze. They won't do anything, just follow silently like a shadow, but even that may be taxing for anyone, especially if others see. The reflection must either be pushed back into an empty mirror, or it will disappear on its own when exiting the building.

B. Wild Carousel. The creatures on this carousel are not just colorful painted steeds but are more frightening in nature and looking more undead than living. Skeletal horses, direwolves, fanged deer with bloody horns. What makes this ride truly terrifying, however, is that the creatures are alive, restrained only by the pole stuck through them. But there are times when they manage to break free, causing havoc as they run through the park. The only good news is they don't attack, instead aiming for the carnival food as if hungry. Either hang on or help capture them back!

C. Cirque du Souleil. Near the center of the carnival is a large circus tent, and it boasts a variety of shows that are death defying, terrorific, and guaranteed to make everyone scream in fright and awe. The usual acts are available to see: acrobatics, musical performances, theatrical skits, and using ghostly steeds to ride through the large arena. But what makes this circus unique is that all the performers are capable of separating their soul from their physical body, similar to astral projecting or dreamwalking outside of dreams and being visible to all. And now they're asking for volunteer pairs to either participate in a more simple act such as an acrobatic stunt on the swings or tight rope…or eat a special candy that will allow them to have an out of body experience via dreamwalking outside. The only "flaw" is their dreamwalking form will tend to float up to the top of the tent, so their partner who hasn't eaten the candy has to tether them via dreamotion to get through some simple obstacles. No worries, the professionals will help return the soul if they get lost.

D. Spinning Bumper Cups. A combination of the classic bumper cars and spinning cups rides, this attraction has its riders in skull shaped bumper cars that will randomly spin. Riders have the ability to fire off "pumpkin bombs" at the others, which will splatter pumpkin goop to slow down their car. It will also make the car spin for a few rotations. Dreamotion will also help boost the speed, stabilize a spinning car faster, and make the pumpkin bombs more explosive. Just be careful—the barrier around the arena is made of bones and therefore quite brittle. It's not unusual to see a car spin out and lose control driving through the carnival grounds. Stop the runaway car and bring it back! Or shoot people with pumpkin bombs.

E. Ferris Wheel. Ah, the ferris wheel, a gentle ride that elevates one high in the air to allow them to see the sights below, in this case the entire carnival grounds and the surrounding areas like the bordering forests, the Observatory, and the edge of Reverein. However, as with everything in this carnival, the ride is not always so gentle. There are times when the entire ride accelerates to a faster pace, causing the (fortunately) enclosed cabins to rock dangerously as it rotates around. There are times when it keeps going, not letting anyone off until three rotations. And then there are times when the top half of the cabin disappears, exposing the riders to the cooler winds. Fortunately handle bars will appear they can hold onto, but no seat belts. Enjoy the view?

F. Other Rides. There are plenty of rides and attractions at the carnival, too many to list all of them here. A roller coaster, tower drop, gravitron, bungee jumps, pendulum ship—whatever one might think exists, it's there in all its twisted nightmare glory. One thing they all have in common is the more fear and thrill and screams generated, the faster they go. Just hope the ride doesn't stall and get stuck…

III. HAUNTING CLUES

Although the main purpose for these prompts is to find the clues, anyone is free to use them for general use and not focus on getting the clue. For those who do participate, we'll be asking for thread during our Activity Check! Those who are TDMing regardless of application can also have their threads counted by commenting to this thread and following the directions.

#1. Haunted Dollhouse. There is a special building called the Haunted Dollhouse. It's similar to a haunted house, however this attraction is filled with moving porcelain dolls that will try to scare and chase those who enter (it's quite likely some members of the newly added Porcelain Town have volunteered to help). Sometimes, those who enter are cursed into a doll and are now vulnerable. They are also not always able to move on their own will. This is not great as sometimes the dolls kind of…malfunction and will actually become aggressive. The weapons they wield are also not props, so that's a problem. However, they are small and can only inflict minor wounds and can be easily taken out.

The main clue here is "Villains!' I shrieked. 'Dissemble no more! I admit the deed! Tear up the planks! Here, here! It is the beating of his hideous heart!" To help both those who have turned into dolls as well as get the clue, everyone has to find the right place where some candied hearts are hidden. Fortunately the "blood trail" (it's raspberry syrup) will help lead them to the right place.

#2. Abandoned House. A little away from the main attractions there is a run down house surrounded by trees…and a lot of ravens. A raven with red eyes will guide those who dare or wish to face a lost loved one to the house. Inside it's just filled with faceless busts and empty paintings, but soon they are filled with the images of those lost ones. It could be a person, pet, thing, but they are there, just staring. Only the eyes and mouths move, and what the person hears are their insecurities and fears related to how they lost whatever they see. Anyone else will either see the original blanks or their own personalized images.

The main clue is "And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting // On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door // Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning // Shall be lifted – nevermore". To get out of this house, they have to first look for the bust that has the red eyed raven on it. This will be tricky as there will be many ravens with different colored eyes. Once they do, there will be a small picture frame. They must manifest one or more of the images they are seeing and capture it into the frame. This is simply done by waving it like a net, but the manifestation can move around. This can be as easy or difficult as a player wants, and how affected the character is from what they see and hear can also be a factor. The more affected they are, the easier it is to manifest but difficult to capture. The less affected, it will be more difficult to manifest as they have to tap into that raw fear, but will be easier to capture.

#3. Hay Bale Maze. Just outside of the circus tent is a large hay bale maze with the hay…looking as if it's seen much better days. It's filled with spooks that like to jump scare maze goers or bodiless limbs that reach out to grab, but aside from that it's harmless. Except for one particular figure.

The main clue is "Who dares?" he demanded hoarsely of the courtiers who stood near him --"who dares insult us with this blasphemous mockery? Seize him and unmask him --that we may know whom we have to hang at sunrise, from the battlements!" There is a red clad figure wearing a skull mask. He will randomly bust through the hay walls and engage maze goers into a fight. Those who are incapable will flee in terror while the figure will chase, which will be a pretty good clue as to where he is. Once engaged, any weapon and dreamotion can be used at their disposal and the challenge is to just simply best him in a fight (not to the death). Striking the figure even once will earn a victory and the skull mask will be granted.

#4. Musical Catacombs. For a bit more lighthearted fun, there is an underground catacombs that is filled with tombs. Some of them have actual skeletons and ghosts sleeping in them, but they won't harm anyone if bothered. Just be a bit cranky, maybe throw a bone. At someone's head. Down here it's quite lively, filled with music, dancing, and a lot of alcohol. Minors will only get sparkling juice.

The main clue is "'Ha! ha! ha! — he! he! he! — a very good joke, indeed — an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo — he! he! he! — over our wine — he! he! he!' // 'The Amontillado!' I said." One of the games is a dancing game where the tombs will light up a certain color and participants have to properly hit the correct corresponding floor panel (basically a music rhythm/DDR themed game). Should they make a perfect score, one of the tombs will open and have a crusty wine bottle in it. It has competitor and co-op mode.

Comments

haunted dollhouse

[judicialassistant]

[ When Ken looks down, all he will see is an innocent looking bunny doll, perhaps a little too girlish for his tastes. Maybe she's been there from the very beginning, or perhaps it felt like she just appeared there. Either way, the question has her squirming.

Her eyes move around, like one would when paralysed, like it's the only thing that can move. The blue flowers pinned to her ears start to glow faintly, attracting the attention of some of the other dolls.

Finally, she's able to stand. ]

...!

[ Give her a second. There's a gasp as she stretches out her little arms, the pink sleeves hanging as they always have. She can move...! ]

[whatsamada]

[At first, Ken didn't seem to notice. With the various dolls around, a rabbit didn't stick out to him. Although, when he saw the faint glow, that's when he saw her stand.]

Wait, that's...!

[Immediately, he took a step back before raising an eyebrow or two before leaning down to said doll. Giving his hand out, he chuckled a little.]

I'm guessing you're one of the people I have to out, huh? Don't worry, I'll help you out as soon as I figure out how. I'm assuming you know?

[judicialassistant]

[ ...He's friendly. When he offers his hand, her nose wrinkles as she sniffs it in a very bunny like way, and she has to shake her head to try to stave off the curse's hold. ]

Th, Thank you... I came into this haunted dollhouse with the intention of investigating, but I didn't know I would turn into one. [ Oddly enough......not the first time. But that is perhaps a story for another day. ]

I don't know for sure, but... I think we are looking for a "hideous heart" somewhere.

[whatsamada]

[He knows he shouldn't be surprised to hear her talk and yet, it was so odd to see a doll speak to him. However, he had to hide back the look of shock. Not when he had somebody to help out.]

Well, the important thing is that I can help you out right? I'm sure if we look for this "hideous heart", we'll turn you back in no time!

[That said?]

All we have to do is look for something bright red like a jewel or something, right? [Because obviously that's what video game or movie logic tells you what it looks like, right??]

[judicialassistant]

[ Both movies and video games are unfortunately something after her time, but his logic tracks. She's certainly looking for something red, at least, and it's probably bright, though she thinks she would have found it by now if so. ]

Perhaps. There is a bookshelf over there. I wondered if it was maybe hiding in one of the books, but I couldn't reach any higher than the bottom shelf.

[ ......Though Ken looks young and short too. As they are though, still way taller than her. ]

Should we check again?

sorry for the late. teacher lyfe be fun

[whatsamada]

I don't see why we can't, it's worth a try!

[That said, as he walked over to said bookshelf, he hummed to himself. So far, there didn't seem to be any glowing red light anywhere. Taking a step back, it didn't seem like there was anything shining high up either.]

I don't think I see anything but...

[He suddenly sank his head onto his shoulders. He didn't want to admit this but he'll have to say it...! Then, in a low whisper?]

I'm not really all that tall.......

no worries! adult work life hard

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato trails behind him, really having to work her little felt legs to keep up. She busies herself with the same shelves she visited before as Ken looks up. She can even see her little footprints in the dust. She bends down to investigate further and can't help running her paw along the shelf (that is now her floor) in an investigative manner. ]

Hmm. It's alright... I am not so tall, either. Once we break the curse, you'll see.

I am Susato, by the way. Susato Mikotoba.

[whatsamada]

[Kneeling down, he tried to give his hand out toward her. He might be short but maybe if he picked her up, she might be able to see a little further up compared to him?]

Even so, perhaps you can see higher than me if I picked you up Mikotoba-san.

[That said?]

But it's nice to meet you, my name is Ken Amada.

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato's ears seem to twitch at the idea, the blue flowers glowing, blinking in a way that seems to suggest she is pleased. She dips her head in a bow. ]

It's nice to meet you as well, Amada-san. Would you really do that for me...?

I could truly use the lift, and perhaps I'll find something useful!

[whatsamada]

Of course, why wouldn't I? Especially when the both of us are trying to get out of here!

[That and it wouldn't be polite to follow through on what he said! With that, he picked her up and placed her higher up on the shelf.]

Do you see anything?

[judicialassistant]

[ It feels strange to be lifted in such a way. It tickles. Her ears twitch slightly as she resists the urge to squirm free, but the ride doesn't seem to last long. Once Susato is atop the shelf, she does a little hop and peruses through the ancient-looking books she sees.

Could a gem-like item be hidden in one of them? ]

Hmm... Nothing yet...

[ She trails off... but as she peers over the edge to look down at Ken, she realizes she is getting a new overhead perspective from here. Interesting... ]

Amada-san, have you checked beneath that rug yet? Where that table is, there. [ She points to an old wooden table that looks like it hasn't been touched in forever. On top of that is a plain vase, and a flower within it that's wilted. ]

[whatsamada]

No, I haven't but we can go look!

[With that, he made his way toward the table before kneeling down to look at the rug. So far, he hasn't seen anything that appears to be glowing yet. However, as he lifted said rug and took a peek under it?]

I think I see something! There looks like a small door under it!

[He said before trying his best to move the table to the side hoping that nothing would fall down.] That sure was a good spot to place a door, it seems something a thief would do.

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato's ears twitch happily. She didn't know what to expect, but that door certainly isn't something to be ignored. She bounces lightly on her feet, though she's still stuck up on the shelves unless she wants to risk hurting herself by jumping off. ]

Wonderful! There definitely might be something hidden there. Hmm, I haven't seen any key, but...

[ She's just assuming it might be locked, but once the rug is pulled back a little, Ken will see what looks like blood at the door's edge and seeping underneath. The handle sits there invitingly, waiting to be pulled, and underneath, there is a secret passage leading down and into the darkness.

The "blood" trail is clearer once the door is opened, dripping down each step that appears. ]

[whatsamada]

[Somehow, Ken shouldn't have been surprised that there was blood at the door. If anything, he should have known given how creepy that house was. That said, as he pulled open the door, he looked back at Susato before making his way up the shelf to grab her.]

I'll say this though, they are doing a pretty good job for trying to make this as creepy as it is. Although, the blood might be a little bit too much.

[After all, walking all around the Dark Hour sure made him realize how desensitized he is to the sight of blood.]</small<

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato stops her search when she realizes that the door isn't locked. Her ears might have twitched a little in surprise, but when Ken comes her way, she's prepared to hop back into his hand and into his arms. ]

Do you think we'll find a body at the end?

...Maybe the "hideous heart" refers to... [ An actual heart?! Was the Nightmare Troupe capable of such a thing...?

She doesn't want to believe it so. As Ken traverses the steps, the darkness grows, and the flowers upon her head start to glow as she thinks. It's not quite enough to illuminate everything, but good enough to follow the trail, and see that it leads to a door at the other end of the room that is cracked open with light. ]

[whatsamada]

I sure hope not! That would be rather gruesome!

[Which was saying a lot coming from him! But as she landed on his hand, he made his way toward the door. Again, looking down at the stairs, he suddenly found himself being worried. Seeing blood was one thing but seeing a dead body was another. Mumbling to himself, he eventually made his way down the stairs.

As he walked further on, he gave a sigh of relief to know it was only another door. Slowly, as he opened it, there was the anticipation something behind said door.]

...Do you really think we'll find a body?

[Because he was starting to get worried.]

[judicialassistant]

[ Suddenly, Susato feels very bad for manifesting this. Her ears fold in shame as they get closer, and she really doesn't know how to answer him. ]

I, I don't know...

[ Her voice is small. Luckily (?), they don't have to wait long to find out. After a few more moments of quiet and unsettling anticipation, they reach the door, and the light is almost blinding when it opens.

The room is almost unnaturally white. On the table in the center of the room is a single bowl filled with candied hearts, and from that bowl drips a thick syrup that leads all the way onto the floor and back out into the darkness, creating the trail.

... ]

......?

[whatsamada]

[The room left Ken nearly blind. With how white it was, he felt his eyes stinging from it all. Although, as he walked closer toward the bowl, he glanced back at Susato.]

You think this is it? I don't see anything glowing red though.

[And yet, as he narrowed his eyes to look inside the bowl, he wondered if he should dig around. Cautiously, he was hovering his hand over the bowl as he wondered if he should place his hands inside.]

This is really gross...!

[He didn't mean to come across as childish but he couldn't deny it! It really was gross!!]

[judicialassistant]

[ It's a little childish, but Susato doesn't seem to disagree! It's not a dead body though, so they've got that going for them. While his hands hover over the bowl, Susato hops off to get a better look, sniffing at the air over the bowl. ]

Well, they're hearts? And they are rather hideous, I suppose.

But... it smells sweet. Not metallic like you would expect from blood...

[whatsamada]

I really don't know...

[So much for trying to act mature. Still, it seems like he has no choice. Wincing to himself, he placed his hand inside the bowl as he stared to dig around for the heart.]

Do you see anything glowing yet? It has to be in here somewhere...! [All the while his voice clearly screaming out how he wants this done and over with!]

[judicialassistant]

[ At least he was able to stick his hand in the bowl! Susato is concerned about getting whatever that is all over her nice white fur... Though in the end, a part of her realizes that it shouldn't matter. She looks at him, and then at the bowl where he's digging around. ]

Not yet......but...?

[ There's a tilt of her head. As he searches, some of the red syrup starts to drip down the side of the bowl.

......She tilts her head.

Then leans forward. She is clearly hesitating, closing her eyes, but finally closes the distance to give it a gentle lick. ]

[whatsamada]

[He wasn't expecting that. As he kept on searching, he had to wonder if he might have accidentally squished the glowing heart. After all, with the red syrup coming out, it had to be the reason.

Right?

But raising an eyebrow, he looked at Susato curiously.]

...Is everything okay? [Was she supposed to do that?]

[judicialassistant]

It's like...

...!!

[ Perhaps she's trying to think of what kind of berry it tastes like the most. Given the color, she'd guess raspberries or strawberries, but before she can get a chance to narrow down which, there's a warm feeling that radiates throughout her body, and she feels a sudden pull. The seams on her plush form feel like they start to unravel, but before she can see if that's actually the case, there's a glow that matches the whiteness of the room.

In the next moment, she's standing next to the table, back in her Halloween dress, and there's a faint dizziness that comes with the strange, out-of-body experience. Conveniently, there's also a small container hanging from her wrist, meant for candy. ]

[whatsamada]

[Before Ken got a chance to respond, the flash of light momentarily blinded him. As he tried to over his eyes, he was prepared for a fight. He knew better than to let his guard down during a time like this!

He was ready to get his Evoker should an energy appear.

However, that was not the case. When he saw someone before him, he blinked at her before looking down at her wrist.]

Susato-san? Is that you? Are you okay....?

[judicialassistant]

[ Ignoring the candy bowl for the moment, Susato looks at her wrist too, and her hand attached to it. She makes a fist and then releases it, like she's testing her muscles. It feels super weird, like coming out of a dream.

And yet her name registers, and she's still there. ]

Y, Yes! It's me. The curse is broken... I was going to say it tastes like raspberries.

Maybe they're important...?