The Game at Carousel: A Horror Movie LitRPG

Dina said that she arrived in Carousel in 2011. We got here in 2022. Either someone was very confused, or Carousel didn't really care much about continuity.

The thing was... I had never heard of that happening. None of the veteran players had mentioned anything like that and that isn't the type of thing that you can just leave out. After all, most of the groups lured to Carousel could be linked to other players that were here when they arrived. Just like how Antoine was "invited" by Chris. It was only on occasion that someone would arrive without having some connection to other players.

"That can't be," Antoine said. "Chris left eight years ago and he's been here for eight years. Not to mention, there have been two or three teams since then."

Dina furrowed her brow.

“The letters talked as if things were being moved into place,” she said. “Maybe...”

She didn't finish her thought.

She started walking back toward town.

“Maybe what?” Antoine asked.

She glanced back at us as she walked. “Maybe it isn't a coincidence. Any of this.”

“You think we were brought here for you?” Camden asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. “Makes me sound egotistical, doesn't it?”

It sounded like she was suggesting that she started driving down the road to Carousel in 2011 and didn't actually arrive until we did because… we were supposed to help her save her son. That sounded a little out of pitch with what we knew of Carousel so far. Why would Carousel care about saving some kid? That's assuming it you could call Carousel's intentions for the kid "saving". Horror movies aren't known for happily ever afters. Ever seen Pet Sematary? Sometimes dead is better.

Surely, this was all just part of the cruelty of the entity we were all captive to. It was ridiculous to think that Carousel had told the complete truth to Dina in those letters. There had to be an angle.

“Where are we going?” Kimberly asked.

We had just been following Dina.

“I thought you had a storyline that we were going to do. Wasn't that the whole reason you came out today?” Dina answered.

Anna ran up ahead of Dina. “Stop. We have to talk about this.”

Dina shook her head. “We have to keep moving forward. You know everything I know. You can come to your own conclusions about whether or not you’re going to help me. I'm not going to sit around and wait like all those people back at the lodge.”

“We can do both," Anna said. "We can talk things through and keep pursuing it."

Dina gave a half-shrug.

"Anyway, we have a storyline to do today. Let's try to work together on it, okay?"

"Fine by me."

They both started walking toward town. I moved up ahead so that I could scout out omens.

It occurred to me that the storyline we were headed toward was on the other side of town. I had an idea.

“I think we should stop by the pawn shop in the town square. Arthur told me about it. It’ll only take a bit. It's on the way, I promise.”

No one objected. That was good enough for me.

Navigating through town was more difficult than going through the outskirts. There were more omens packed closely together. Luckily, I was able to get us through. All it took was a ton of stress and an extra helping of caution.

We couldn't go directly through town square. That place was filled to the brim with omens. We could only go there in between scenes like the last time. Luckily there was a way to get to the pawn shop without going through town square.

There was a back alley.

Now I know what you're thinking: the back alley must be filled with omens.

You'd be wrong. There were only three.

One was inside a dumpster. I didn't know what it was but I could hear it growling. Another involved a man wearing a tinfoil hat and talking to himself. Those were easy to avoid.

The third was a little bit trickier. There was a green ooze rising up out of a sewer grate. The sewers of Carousel had to be filled with storylines because this was the third omen I had seen related to them.

“Don’t step in the ooze,” I said.

“Avoid the glowing sludge?” Camden asked with a grin. Maybe he was starting to get past his first death. I didn’t think I’d heard him joke since… who knows when.

“You'll just have to trust me,” I answered.

Everyone made it past with little trouble.

Once we were through the alleyway, we had made it.

We gazed up at Happened A-Pawn Pawn Shop. Our destination.

Walking into the pawn shop, I immediately noticed that something was different about this place. Nearly every object in the entire store displayed information on the red wallpaper. I'm not just talking about omens, though there were those too, I mean everything.

The guns hung up on the wall behind the counter told me how much ammunition they could hold and how powerful they were. I hadn't really considered the idea that some weapons might be more powerful than others. I mean obviously, I know a handgun isn't as deadly as a shotgun or a rifle, but comparing rifles to each other felt ambiguous and pointless when it was the user's Mettle that actually mattered.

There weren't just guns, there were knives, swords, and weapons of all sorts. A mall ninja would go crazy in this shop. If there were ever a citywide zombie apocalypse, this would be the first place I would go.

But the supplies didn't end there. There were things that might not seem useful at first glance. The shop was filled with all types of props, outfits, and tools.

There were hunting supplies, hiking supplies, and an entire section devoted to used art supplies. There were canvases, one of which was an Omen, paint, and a portable easel. There was a typewriter that you could carry around in its own little case. There were musical instruments, cameras, and a variety of other electronics.

The selection of Omens was even greater than that at the psychic’s shop.

“Do not touch anything,” I said to my friends as we walked in.

“Riley,” Anna said, “I think… I think we can see them too.”

“The Omens?”

She nodded her head.

This place really was special.

As I looked around at everything the shop offered, my eyes eventually rested on a familiar sight. In the corner of the shop, broken down and inoperable, was Silas the Showman. He didn't move; he didn't speak. His lights were off. And yet I could never really feel like he wasn't watching.

In addition to seeing information about the objects in the shop, I could see their cost and rarity. I could also see whether any of them required special tropes to be able to use in a storyline. Some said that tropes were required, and others said they were merely recommended.

After looking around the shop for a while, I saw under the glass of the counter, a collection of tickets. Tropes of all kinds. The red wallpaper told me how rare each one was. I took twenty minutes just to read them all. Unlike the other objects in the pawn shop, these did not have prices on them. I suspected I would have to haggle.

While looking through the tropes on the red wallpaper, I noticed there was information that didn't appear on the card itself. It was something called an ‘Aspect.’ It appeared to modify the base archetype. I had heard some of these words thrown around before at the lodge but never knew any context for them. If this were a video game, an aspect appeared to be a subclass or something like that. I imagined I would need a special trope to see aspects outside of the pawn shop.

Name Archetype Aspect Type Stat Effect Rarity A Rare Find Antiquarian N/A Perk Savvy The player will be presented with valuable artifacts that, if recovered and kept undamaged, will increase the loot won at the end of the storyline ✪✪ Alignment Reveal Outsider Stranger Action Moxie A player who has kept their involvement with the main cast ambiguous until the Finale can then reveal they are an ally, boosting all of their stats. Keeping a distance from the main storyline is more difficult than it seems. ✪✪✪✪ Amateur Paranormal Investigator N/A N/A Background N/A The player has always been interested in the paranormal and likes to spend their nights and weekends hunting ghosts, goblins, and cryptids. Grants access to the following tropes: Trail Cam (Adventurer), Accidentally Captured On Film (Artist), EVP (Psychic), Sleuth's Starter's Kit (Detective), Legacy Hunter's Journal (Monster Hunter), and Ouija is Just a Boardgame (Psychic). LEVEL I. ✪✪✪ Are their feelings real? Femme Fatale N/A Buff Moxie If the player strikes up a budding romance with an ally, they will both get higher Grit for the remainder of the storyline or until the question of the player’s true feelings is answered. ✪ Call in the Military Soldier Commando Rule N/A Changes the win condition to waiting out until after the military arrives. The player must contact them first. The player will see a countdown until victory. Enemies will be more aggressive and better at finding players. Be cautious when equipping this trope, as storylines will scale to a level justifying military intervention. ✪✪✪✪✪ Charlatan Psychic Occultist Action Moxie Revealing oneself to be a fraudulent psychic (or being revealed) invalidates all predictions (good or bad) and psychic abilities. If performed at the Rebirth midpoint, it also rids the story of its supernatural qualities and morphs the story into a more realistic scenario that only appeared supernatural (when plausible) ✪✪✪✪ Clue Magnifier Detective N/A Insight Savvy When examining a scene, the player will receive applicable clues on the red wallpaper. A magnifying glass or similar can be used as a prop to great effect. ✪ Don't Dead Open Inside Any N/A Insight Plot Armor Increases the frequency of on-scene, explicit information related to the plot or enemy. ✪✪✪ Eagle Scout N/A N/A Background N/A The player was in the scouts growing up. The following tropes can be equipped: Know Your Knots (Adventurer), Prepared for the Outdoors (Adventurer), I Need Duct Tape and Towels (Doctor), Follow the Leader (Wallflower), A Keen Sense of Direction (Adventurer), Monsters Fear Fire (Monster Hunter), and The Benefits of an Active Lifestyle (Athlete) ✪✪✪ Fight Magic with Magic Monster Hunter N/A Rule Plot Armor Allows the player to bring Occult objects into the story that are usable for hunting monsters, creatures, or supernatural entities. As player PA increases, they can bring more items and more useful items. ✪✪ Flickering Lights Departed N/A Action Savvy The player can cause lights or other electronics to flicker as a means to communicate with living allies. The higher the Savvy, the higher the control over the flickering. ✪ Fresh Meat Outsider New Kid Rule Moxie Revealing oneself to be a new student, employee, etc. during the Party Phase will cause ornery or pugnacious NPCs to gravitate toward you, increasing the odds of the player finding useful information, endearing the player to protective NPCs, and letting allies go Off-Screen. ✪✪ Give him the hook! Comedian Joker Action Moxie Telling a bad joke on purpose lowers PA ✪✪✪ Golden Rule Wallflower Underdog Insight Moxie Being kind to NPCs can result in them striking up a useful friendship that can be used to obtain information Off-Screen. ✪ Hang a Lampshade Film Buff/ Comedian N/A Buff Savvy Pointing out a cliché or unrealistic plan buffs the planner's Savvy and increases the likelihood of success. ✪✪ Human Shield Guardian N/A Buff Grit When protecting an ally from damage, the ally will, to the extent plausible, not take damage. The player will take it instead. ✪ I had a troubled childhood Outsider Criminal Rule Moxie The player gains proficiency with lockpicking, hotwiring cars, and other criminal skills if they convincingly portray themselves as having a criminal history. ✪✪✪ Intimidation is Charisma Bruiser Bully Rule Mettle In situations that involve persuasion and intimidation is a plausible means to persuade, the player's Moxie is equal to their Mettle ✪✪ It's All In Your Head Doctor Psychiatrist Action Moxie Allows the player to prescribe medication to temporarily dampen or eliminate mental trauma--even if that trauma is caused by real supernatural beings. This can protect them from otherworldly tormentors and even suppress possession, if only for a while. ✪✪ Kick the Dog Outsider Criminal Action Moxie Doing an evil or revolting act in the Party Phase lower's user's plot armor but ensures they will have a cinematic death after at Second Blood. ✪ Limber Athlete Fitness Expert Buff N/A Allows the player extra Hustle when doing a task that requires flexibility ✪ New In Town Outsider New Kid Insight Moxie Introducing yourself in a friendly manner will increase the odds of NPCs reciprocating, giving directions, or general advice. ✪ Not Important Enough Wallflower Extra Rule N/A As long as the player does not engage in the plot, they will not be targeted by an intelligent enemy with no specific motive to do so. Prevents being targeted for both First and Second Blood. After the Midpoint, they will be considered Written Off and will not be permitted back On-Screen except through the effect of another Trope. ✪✪✪ Not Just a Pretty Face Eye Candy Beauty Buff N/A The Eye Candy's Moxie is used in place of Savvy when the highest Savvy ally is dead, unavailable, or has a plan fail. ✪✪✪✪ Peek over the shoulder Wallflower Stand-In Insight Moxie The player can get a peek at an NPC's current scripted action by getting physically close to them. ✪✪ Photographic Memory Scholar Sleuth Perk Savvy The player can store limited visual information on the red wallpaper. ✪✪ Pointing Out The Obvious Hysteric Defiant Buff Moxie Reiterating obvious problems ad nauseum will buff allies' Grit and Savvy. ✪ Pregnancy Reveal Any Female Character N/A Buff Moxie Revealing pregnancy On-Screen buffs player's PA and increases lover's Mettle upon death. ✪✪✪ Prepared for the Outdoors Adventurer N/A Rule N/A Allows the player to bring standard outdoors equipment, such as climbing gear, hiking equipment, etc. ✪ Save the Cheerleader, Save the World Damsel N/A Rule N/A Changes the win condition to rescuing the player, assuming they are successful in being kidnapped or put in prolonged risk of harm. ✪ Shared Experience Final Girl Leader Rule N/A The Final Girl's exploits will increase the loot of all players, regardless of involvement in the storyline ✪✪✪ Sitting by the Phone Wallflower Underdog Rule Moxie After establishing friendships with allies early in the story, the player can sit out much of what follows until they are called in (through a plausible method) for help in the Finale. Engaging in the plot will invalidate this trope. The player is considered Written Off until they are called back in. ✪✪✪✪ The Bulletproof Table Soldier G.I. Rule Moxie In a Fight Scene, anything the character hides behind will be imbued with the movie magic required to stop projectiles, claws, acid, or similar attacks. Must be at least plausible and the portrayal must be convincing. ✪✪ The One That Got Away Hysteric Craven Rule N/A Upon the death of the rest of the party, the Win Condition changes to escape. Player will be able to perceive a safe zone. However, in any sequel storyline, you will be targeted first. ✪✪✪✪✪ Third Eye Cam Psychic Seer Insight Savvy The player will be able to see the deaths of other players and NPCs in real-time. Whether they can reveal that information On-Screen, depends on the nature of the story. ✪✪✪✪ Trail Cam Adventurer N/A Insight Savvy Allows the player to place video cameras around the setting in an attempt to capture proof or information. ✪✪✪ Unconscious Revelation Artist N/A Insight Savvy The player will subconsciously include hints to supernatural phenomena into their artistic work, be it a book, painting, or the like. ✪✪

Ever since I got back from the grotesque storyline, things had been awkward between my friends and me. They sensed that I was hiding something from them. I wanted to make it up to them. The collection of tropes under the glass appeared to be largely random, but there were a few tropes that I thought my friends could use. I had just gotten a bunch of money and a bunch of useless tropes.

I figured that I could get them something, maybe as an olive branch. I had about 230 dollars and nine tropes. I hoped that would be enough.

“If you see anything you could use,” I said. “I might be able to help you buy it. I mean, I just got a lot of money. I don’t think there’s anything better to spend it on.”

“Thanks,” Antoine said, “Just need a little.”

He was holding a wooden baseball bat that cost 60 dollars. His tropes would give him a bonus for using that and allow him to carry it into most storylines. Seemed like a good buy.

“I don’t know what I want,” Kimberly said in frustration. I couldn’t blame her. There was no obvious prop that Eye Candy might need. A purse, maybe? But she brought one with her and never used it in storylines so that was probably not right either.

“I could get you this Pregnancy Reveal trope,” I suggested.

She looked at me like I had slapped her.

“Just because... it would be useful. It’s a buff,” I said. “Or not. It’s probably too expensive anyway.”

Did she just take that as rude?

At first, I thought I might have offended her, but then she started laughing.

“I’ll take it,” Kimberly said. “But I don't want any jokes.”

“I wasn’t going to…”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Good.”

Camden was easy. He wanted Photographic Memory.

“It would have made the Astralist a breeze,” he said.

That was three friends down.

“Anna?” I asked.

She looked through the selection. She didn't seem to find anything that appealed to her, though, I think she was just being polite.

“You're already giving me that other final girl trope,” she said. “You don't need to get me anything else. Unless that one ends up being affordable.”

She pointed to Shared Experience.

I could see that being useful. It wouldn’t have much in-story use, but ensuring every player got good rewards was a good effect.

I started thinking about what I would want for myself. There were a couple of tropes available that I liked. Hang a Lamp Shade and Don't Dead Open Inside would both work for me and seemed useful. But something else caught my eye.

A portable tape player. Yellow plastic. Thin metal headphones with yellow earpads. The kind that sat on your ears, not covered them. The kind you might have seen back in the 90s. They were bright and visible. They were perfect for someone who wanted to pretend that they couldn't hear you.

They cost 80 dollars. They didn't require a trope to bring them into a storyline unless you were trying to listen for ghosts, in which case you would need a trope for that. The record function would not work without the associated trope for that either. It didn't matter. I just needed them as a prop.

There was a tape inside of it that read 90s Instant Classics. I imagine they were made-up 90s songs like every other made-up thing in Carousel, but they would do the trick.

Sunglasses + Headphones = Truly Oblivious.

Combine that with a newspaper and I would be nearly untouchable when using Oblivious Bystander.

Now where was that shopkeeper?

I found a little bell on the counter and rang it.

From the back of the shop, someone with a deep voice yelled, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

Moments later, a door near Silas the Showman opened up and a large man walked through it. He was 6 and a half feet tall and built like a truck. His hair was cropped short. He wore an unbuttoned, short-sleeved collared shirt with a white undershirt and cargo shorts.

Taron “Tar” Bellows. Owner, Happened A-Pawn, Pawn Shop. Plot Armor: 50.

“I see you've raided the place,” he said. He came behind the counter and pulled out a small pair of reading glasses. He stretched them over his face and looked down at me through them. “Now what do you need me for?”

I cleared my throat.

“We were hoping to buy some of these tickets,” I said.

“And a baseball bat,” Antoine added.

“And a baseball bat,” I said. “And maybe that Walkman.”

Tar looked over where I had pointed. “Walkman?”

“The tape player,” I said. Walkman wasn’t a Carousel brand.

“Bat and tape player is 140. What tickets you looking for?”

I pointed out Photographic Memory, Pregnancy Reveal, and Shared Experience.

He gingerly grabbed them from behind the counter. His large fingers made the tickets look small.

“This one is fifty,” he said, placing Photographic Memory on the counter.

I quickly realized I wouldn’t have enough money.

“These are 200 and 210,” he said about Pregnancy Reveal and Shared Experience respectively.

I went over budget quickly.

“I have some for trade,” I said. I pulled out the ten tickets I had gotten from Silas after the Grotesque storyline and laid them on the counter. I grabbed the one I had promised Anna and took it back.

“Let’s take a look,” he said.

He began shuffling through them and rearranging them. I didn't know if he was sorting them by rarity or what.

“You've got some good stuff here,” he said. “Friends in High Places, now that is a useful ticket. Why would you want to part ways with that?”

“I can't use it.”

He shrugged.

“Watching Over You,” he said. “Not as rare, still useful.”

He put Watching Over You down right next to Friends in High Places.

Friends in High Places. Watching Over You.

I paused. Friends in high places watching over you. Was that just a coincidence? Strange.

Anna leaned over and said, “We also have some money, if that’s not enough.”

She put 110 dollars on the counter. All of their combined earnings.

“Just in case,” she said.

“A glitch in the matrix. Did that one confuse you or are you just not interested?” He asked.

I was puzzled. Did he not realize that not everyone could use every ticket?

He placed a glitch in the matrix down on the counter.

“Accidentally captured on film, now that is a run saver,” he said. “You ever thought about becoming an artist?”

I shook my head.

“Alright,” he said.

He placed Accidentally Captured on Film next to a Glitch in the Matrix.

A Glitch in the Matrix. Accidentally Captured on Film.

“Lot of good stuff you have here. Almost hate to take it off you.”

“Wait a second,” I said. I grabbed the tickets I had received from Silas after the Grotesque storyline.

A Glitch in the Matrix.

A Story Within a Story.

Watching Over You…

Who you truly are…

Friends in High Places.

This is going to sting a bit…

Accidentally Captured on Film.

Back to where it all started…

The Intrepid Guide Who Knows The Way.

These titles… was there…

“You know, kid,” Tar said, “I got my favorite show on in the back. I’m really not looking to haggle and trade. Tell you what: since the boss isn’t looking, how about I just take the cash? Easier that way.”

I looked him in the eyes. They were dark. He met my gaze.

“What do you say? Just the cash? You keep those tropes. Just in case. They might grow on you.”

I nodded.

“Good. Now get out of here. I’m closing up shop.”

I gathered the tickets and the Walkman. Antoine got his bat. We handed Tar the money. We turned to leave. Never even got to discuss the going price on the monster tickets we had been collecting.

“Come back soon, you hear. We have a rotating stock. Never know what we’ll have.”

“Thanks,” Anna said as we left.

“What’s going on?” Antoine asked.

“Was there something wrong with your tickets?” Camden asked.

There was almost certainly something wrong. The titles of the tickets I had received from Silas… I think they had a message. I hadn't noticed it before, but the way the NPC laid them out in front of me like that...

What was it that Roxie said happened to old Film Buffs?

That they started thinking Carousel was talking to them?

Maybe they were right.