⇨ MAINFRAME

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 92 - Day 105
Where: Mainframe, the city inside a computer.
What: The carnival stops at its next location, a computer world full of computer people. Except, this time it's not the Matrix, don't worry.
Warnings: Nothing inherently suspect here.

THIS PLACE, MAINFRAME↴ After the Nightrunners have done their search, you will be welcome to enter the tree portal into Mainframe. There is no loading room this time - instead, any alternations will occur as you pass through the portal. Remember to wear your icon buttons! If you aren't wearing one, you won't be able to pass through the portal, and during your stay you will not be able to remove it. The portal is currently opening into a forested area of Mainframe, filled with a bunch of sort of low res trees. A large section of a residential area has just been nullified by a Game Cube. A large quantity of former sprites and binomes are now wandering the city in the form of null worms, and the rest of the city is generally in a panic. You'll be able to learn about the details of what happened if you ask the locals, though they will act incredulous if you behave as if you don't know what a Game is. Just tell them you and the others just arrived from a different "system" in the "Net." Yeah, that seems to allay their suspicion. Nailed it. Here is a convenient map of the Mainframe from the original cartoon, which this setting is more or less based on. This Mainframe is larger and lacking areas dedicated to specific characters (no Megabyte or Dot's Diner), but is laid out basically the same, for reference's sake. ► LOW RES: Your glamour will come into affect as soon as you cross through the portal, and while you are here your body will function like a weird mixture of its original self and the formatting of a program. You can eat their food and use their amenities, but if one of them were to look at your coding it would be obviously foreign to them. Also, maybe your skin has turned blue, or green, and your clothes are suddenly way more 90's scifi? Maybe you look like a giant number 7 to other people. This place is weird, aesthetically speaking. ► RELIEF EFFORTS: For the altruist out there, you can offer help to the locals that are trying to recover from the recent Game loss. The buildings that were caught within the Cube's range are twisted and burnt out, as if the energy has been sucked right out of them, and it sounds like all the losers were transfigured into slugs. You might want to avoid Game Cubes if any show up. Just an FYI. (As if that will happen.) In the meantime, you can console the programs whose family members are now works, or help try to clean up the buildings that are now falling apart. Or, you can ignore all of this. That's cool, too. ► VIBRANT CULTURE: Despite being weird computer program people made of boxes and spheres, the people of Mainframe seem to live their lives much the same ways humans do. They have TV programs, restaurants, and other shops that you can buy weird 90's computer world bullshit from. There's even a Hollywood inspired area, where you can go to shows. They also have some neato hoverboard things you can fly around on. As usual, the Ringmaster will be giving people an allowance to buy any modest souvenirs or necessities during their stay. Feel free to be creative about fleshing out sections of the city! The mods barely remember the details of this show, either.

Comments

[perverses]

Oh, right. That! [ He'd honestly picked it at random, but he sure as heck isn't going to turn it down. He takes it and holds it up, turning it one way, then another, watching the hologram of the city move with the card. ] Cool...

[ Holographic printing back home was definitely not actual holograms. He grins back at Allen after inspecting his new loot, humble as it may be (in Mainframe terms, anyway). ]

Why thank you very much~.

[showmystar]

You're very welcome.

[And then he loses the affected, hoity-toity accent and just speaks normally, soft and polite.]

I'm Allen Walker. What's your name, new partner in crime?

[perverses]

[ He'll find a pocket to tuck the postcard away before turning back to Allen to answer, ]

Shima, Renzo Shima, one of the nightrunners. [ Also security, but 'nightrunner' sounds the coolest of all the titles. ] Just glad I could help out, Allen.

[ "Help" undercut some poor merchant, but yeah, sure. That's still help! ]

[showmystar]

That's basically your job, right? [As long as nobody else is calling themselves a "mercenary" he's good. (Lookin' at you, Axel.) But this guy might prove useful. He'll keep him around.

Oh, right, his own loot. Allen holds up the hoverboard, inspecting it curiously.] Did you want to try it out? You did help me get it, afterall.

[perverses]

Yep, scouting and stuff. [ "Mercenary" doesn't fit in, though he's definitely been dragged along to fight alongside the rest before. ] Means I was kicking around Mainframe a day or so before the rest of you.

[ But if clearly has some perks, like that! In any case, he's taking a look at the hoverboard once Allen holds it up. ]

Ha, sure. [ And here a grin creeps back across his face as he looks up again. ] But I wanna see you try it first. It is yours.

[ aka he wants to see how badly Allen does, sorry Allen, only not really sorry at all. ]

[showmystar]

[Allen knows that grin well. He uses it on his jackass friends all the time. So Allen smiles right back.

What's the worst that could happen?]

Alright. Let's head through this alley and try it out on the street. [Where there's more room to flail around erratically.

He pops out the other end, places the board on the sidewalk, and sets one heel on the edge. There's a glance back at Shima over his shoulder before he steps fully on the board. It immediately begins to rise, and Allen wavers, arms held out at his sides.]

Whoa. Ahhh . . . [He leans back instinctively, and the board starts flying in reverse. Allen pitches his body forward, which shoots him straight ahead into high gear, careening down the street and right smack towards a building and a very solid-looking wall.

He shrieks. Allen drops to his knees on the death craft, grabs the rim, and tugs UP.

It veers right back around and straight for Shima. Oops. WE'RE IN THIS TOGETHER NOW, BUDDY.]

[perverses]

Ha, very funny, don't tell me he's actually lost control of... that... thing...

[ It was very funny, too, like seriously funny, right up until that last part. Shima doesn't move immediately, having started laughing the second Allen smacked into the wall and having delayed making a run for it to keep on laughing, though that trails off as he realizes, yeah, Allen really has lost control.

Admittedly, it's not like he'd had much to begin with. ]

Whoa, whoa! Wait! Stop!

[ Shima stands his ground for another second or two, crossing his arms in an X to give a 'no, don't' gesture to go with his words. It's all for nothing, though, so it's time to turn tail and book it back down the street! ]

Allen, stop it, don't hit me! I don't wanna get run over!