burn away your self doubt with the fire underneath you (literally)

[whattaprick]

Who: Nightrunners, engineers, and anyone who wants to check out the new facilities.
What: WELCOME TO THE GRIND aka. training yard construction + actual use. Prompts/ideas of what you can find there are in the log text and in this OOC post; otherwise it's a make-your-own-toplevel kind of log!
When: After the engineering meeting; through the end of the Carnival's stay in Mainframe and the break.
Where: The newly-cleared training yard space in the woods!
Warnings: Shenanigansss.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
With magic, absurdly powerful Pokemon, and combined experience putting together ridiculous shit at the Carnival's disposal, training yard construction goes by much faster than it would in an ordinary world. All facilities will be completed by the time the Carnival wraps up performance week.

People are free to come and go to work on various components for the training yard, gawk at the ongoing construction, provide useless side-commentary, or even attempt to help! Unfortunately, nobody here believes in wearing hard hats, so if you're not part of the official crew the risk is yours to take.

TRAINING YARD
A space dedicated to target practice, practicing forms, and more stationary kinds of exercises (many designed to prepare hapless miscreants who aren't quite ready for the obstacle course) for people who want to focus on something specific. Magic-resistant dummies are available for people who want to practice their magic or combat skills. Various beams, tightropes and poles of varying heights can be set up to improve balance. Climbing equipment of various types (such as walls and ropes) are also available.

It's basically a semi-customizable jungle gym with some target dummies to practice hitting things! Stick to whatever difficulty level suits you. It's mostly a bring your own weapon policy, but there are prop swords and balance poles that can serve as staves in a pinch.

OBSTACLE COURSE
The obstacle course spans the length of the clearing, and offers an opportunity to put together all the skills from the training yard. The basic layout is already pretty challenging on its own, but surprise, Peridot has also set it up so you can adjust the difficulty level depending on your level of experience.

On Normal mode, the course components are stationary. On Hard, things start moving around and actively getting in your way, like the tunnel starting to rotate and landings getting progressively harder as things disappear beneath you, and some parts of the course even have drones chasing you down with lasers to 'encourage' you to go faster. Sometimes things will be on fire to really encourage you to avoid them! On Death March the spinning is faster, there are lasers on everything you can conceivably put a laser on, and pyrotechnics have been rigged up so that the last part of the course has you flinging yourself out of the path of a controlled explosion (aim to land on the big X on the end for full points).

Where's the easy mode, you ask? Nothing in life is easy, why would this be?

There's a small signboard at the end of the course listing the shortest times it's taken someone to complete course. The Ringmaster currently holds the record, and no matter how she dares you to beat her, it's generally not recommended to try because faeries are big cheaters.

ARENA
There's a circular, elevated concrete platform towards the end of the obstacle course that functions as place to spar without holding back. It's surrounded by a moat (which coincidentally also serves as a place where anyone on fire because of the last bit of the obstacle course can throw themselves into) and there's a square-shaped sand pit in the center. Depending on the day, the moat might have robot crocodiles and it might be electrified or something? Actually getting into the arena seems to be a challenge all on its own, kind of like someone built it and then put everything else around it because it was cool in some strange reversal of painting yourself into a corner.

FIRST AID STATION

Haha just kidding there isn't one. There might be a small box with some bandages and antibiotic cream kind of thoughtlessly tucked behind training yard equipment though.

There's been an effort to reasonably fire-proof most items as possible, but it's not infallible. Acts of deliberately malicious destruction will subject vandals to being chased around by the obstacle course's laser-wielding attack drones and the ire of the Engineer. Have fun guys.

Comments

[kingsroads]

"They're real, but I doubt they're real." And because that isn't an explanation in the slightest, Strange continues, explaining things with a tentative frown.

"I take the feathers, shape them with magic, and using that magic, I make a bird. Birds from feathers, flowers from plants, horses from Horse Sand, things like that." It's explained as if that's explanation enough, as if what Strange is saying makes perfect sense. Which, it does in his mind, who the hell knows if it does in Lambert's.

The chickens are real enough to wander around the Big Top, real enough to be a nuisance, and real enough to be scared of Childermass's dog...but they aren't muscle, bone, blood, things like that. They're just chickens.

[whattaprick]

"Too bad. And here I was starting to crave some roast chicken, too." Lambert smirks Nope, it's definitely not explanation by any standards. In any case, running off to get some water takes slightly more effort than Lambert wants to expend right now, so he'll wiggle his water bottle at Strange, brows raised.

"You were saying something about flooding a ditch. Can you fill a bottle?" Knowing his luck, he's going to get drenched head to toe, but after all that exertion it wouldn't be the worst thing to get a cool-down.

[kingsroads]

Strange can't help but laugh a little, as he gives Lambert a small, teasing smirk. "In the peninsula, I was asked to move forests and build bridges, to perform feats of magic that no magician has performed in hundreds of years. In the carnival, I'm asked to fill a bottle of water for my lazy supervisor! It's a waste of my talents!"

But again, he's not saying no. That small little smirk quickly turns to a wide, toothy grin as Strange rubs his hands together slightly, thinking. He could call the water from the moat into Lambert's bottle but really, people have been in that water, that's nasty, Strange's reluctance from the Celebration for anyone to drink water that people have been in is apparently still a thing. So, rain it is.

"I must warn you. You're just as likely to get wet as the bottle." But is it really that bad? Lambert does smell. Still, he's at least going to give the other man a warning.

[whattaprick]

"That's the point," answers Lambert lazily, with raised brows. Sure, part of it is just ordering Strange around, a little of it is actually giving him a challenge that will also make him more useful as a nightrunner.

Ideally, anyway. There's a reason he wasn't in charge of teaching Ciri magic at Kaer Morhen.

"You don't need to warn me about shit. We both know your talents aren't subtle. That's why it'll be good practice, right?" And if he fails, well, there are worse things Lambert could be than wet (although he's already idly planning how he'll extract his watery revenge if Strange does cock it up, which is extremely likely).

[kingsroads]

Strange takes a few steps away from Lambert, placing his hands behind his back as he starts to mutter under his breath. It's just rain, after all. Anybody could do rain, Norrell could do rain and the man had a lack of imagination that Strange honestly never thought possible. But localized rain...that was different. To his credit, he is trying to keep this small. They don't need the whole training yard to get rained on, just Lambert.

Closing his eyes, Strange looks remarkably at peace as he stops muttering. Then, the magic starts. The clouds above the training center start to form and then darken. And, as Strange opens his eyes to look up at the sky, it starts to rain.

The rain is at least slightly localized. The cloud's raining on Lambert and getting everything within a five foot radius of the man wet as well. But at least it's not the entire training yard. Strange is chalking this up as a win, as shown by the triumphant little smile on his face. Of course, Lambert's water bottle's been filled up now...and it's still raining. And Strange hasn't realized it yet. "There we go. All in all, a fairly subtle result, especially when compared to my normal brand of magic."

[whattaprick]

It's actually the first time Lambert's seen Strange demonstrate his weather magic in the open -- fog in the corridors of the Celebration and wind in a haunted supermarket don't quite rate, though he's obliquely referenced doing it for the army before. As such, he watches the clouds overhead form with interest. The only surprise is that Strange does manage to keep it localized. Oh, and that despite the relatively cheerful day (how the Carnival keeps its own personal sun to light it is beyond Lambert's ability to guess) the water that cascades down his body?

It's ice cold.

Lambert manages not to swear out loud, but only just, and he sure is sidestepping out of the way of that impromptu rainshower with a hiss of breath. Yeah, he's dripping wet and shivering even just from the brief exposure, but his water bottle is full, as promised. Well, it could be worse, a warm shower might have felt a bit too much like getting pissed on.

"Good job," Lambert manages to grate out, suppressing a shiver as air hits damp skin. "Maybe next time you can make it rain right in the bottle." Also, just to be an asshole, he flicks his tail, spraying Strange with some of the cool water.

[kingsroads]

"This was already fairly localized as is. Have you ever—" Strange's justifications are cut short, as Lambert flicks the water at him, and he scoots away with a little yelp. Still, at least this is just him getting flicked with the water and not him getting drenched. "Have you ever seen rain fall in an area that small before? I highly doubt it."

So stop griping about how it didn't rain right in the bottle!

And speaking of the rain. With a wave of his hand and a counterspell muttered under his breath, the rain vanishes and the clouds start to dissipate. Still, at least Strange learned that he could do magic that small, even if it was something as fundamentally large as rain. He would have to experiment and practice more later.

[whattaprick]

It's impressive, in a way, but Lambert would argue that Strange's ego doesn't need the help. Maybe someday, when he pulls the trick for a more appreciative audience, he'll get the validation he deserves. Until then...

"Fog, ice, and rain," Lambert muses, ignoring Strange's question entirely. "I'm guessing that was pretty valuable on the battlefield." For some reason, the thought seems to amuse him, though he doesn't immediately share why that's so.

[kingsroads]

"It is," Strange simply answers, with a frown, taking Lambert's amusement as the other man making fun of him somehow (how specifically, Strange doesn't know.)

"Of course, I've used all sorts of other magic in the peninsula. Plant-based magic is a particularly finicky type of magic, but I've adapted it fairly well." He most likely still couldn't move an entire forest, but having vines pick someone up or a tree root knock someone off their feet was something that Strange had quickly mastered.

[whattaprick]

"We've got a game back home called gwent," is what Lambert says, by way of explanation for the sudden mirth. "You pit one army against another, but those three are conditions you can impose on the field to change the odds. Part of the fun is figuring out when it's strategic to hold back or clear the weather."

But whatever, finding out what Strange can do with plants is much more interesting for the moment. Lambert glances around -- sadly, nothing but grass and poles driven into the ground. Though there is a tree stump... hm.

"What kind of plants work?"

[kingsroads]

That makes much more sense to Strange now that he has an explanation. Still, gwent? He's never heard of the game, but Strange won't say no to cards. "You'll have to teach me how to play," Strange adds, with a little nod. "I'll teach you how to play an English or Italian game in return."

Unsurprisingly, Strange has found himself preferring the more Italian and more yelling type of card games than some of the more relatively restrained games of England. As for Lambert's question, however, he simply shrugs.

"Any sort of plant. As long as it's alive enough for me to perform the magic, that is. I don't think my spells would be any use against dead things."

[whattaprick]

"Sure, but won't be much of a game with just one deck. Unless the Ringmaster decides to suddenly bring some in, anyway." It'd be fun to have someone to play against again, but Lambert isn't holding his breath. Collectible dwarven cards probably aren't something the Carnival just keeps lying around, are they?

Only living plants, though...

"What about a seed?"

[kingsroads]

"What about a seed? I could probably make it grow somewhat, but the best recipe to get things to grow will always be rain and sun."

As impressive as magic is, Strange knows that there are a few things that it's best to leave to nature. Besides, that magic wasn't exactly the most respectable sort so it never really came up in Strange's studies. They were magicians, after all, not farmers.

[whattaprick]

"Or seedlings, maybe. It'd be portable, you're always saying you can't do your magic when there's nothing to work with." Lambert shrugs. He is, as ever, thinking of the ways to make Strange's inherently impractical magic, representing infinite possibility, into something that can be put to a single purpose.

"Just a thought. Some kinds of monsters -- spriggans, leshen -- use roots to catch their enemies. Makes them a bitch to deal with."

[kingsroads]

"Are you honestly suggesting I carry seeds around to use in battle?" Strange can't help it: he's smiling slightly and his tone of voice has a hint of disbelief. Because really? That's what Lambert's suggesting? It's...well, it's ridiculous, for one thing. Ridiculous and impractical.

"The problem with that is seeds would only be useful in realms where they could grow to begin with." What use would oak seeds have been in Atlantis or the Mainframe? Sure, he probably could have caused a seedling to grow in the Celebration but then what? Have the baby tree trip someone? No, as much as Strange grouses about how certain worlds aren't helpful with his magic, it really is the best solution.

[whattaprick]

"Why not? Wouldn't have to grow them in the ground. You could stick them in someone's eye or ear and have the roots pierce the brain." In case Strange needed reminding about how awfully different his and Lambert's perspectives on life are, here's a rude wake-up call!

"Anyway," he waves a hand dismissively. "It was just a theory. You're the magician, after all."

[kingsroads]

Lambert, Strange admires your opinions and values your judgement as a friend, but what the ever loving fuck. Strange just kind of stares for a moment because that's his suggestion? That's seriously his suggestion? Jesus Christ.

"I'm not going to have trees attack people's brains," Strange calmly responds, again, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world because what the fuck, Lambert.

[whattaprick]

"How about poison?" Lambert suggests. "Oleander, henbane, nightshade, right up the nose."

Is he fucking with him or is he deadly serious? Who knows!

[kingsroads]

"Oh, henbane won't kill anybody," he responds in a matter of fact tone. "The most it causes is convulsions and a bout of vomiting--you feel abysmal for the next few days, though. Oleander was just as useless, though the convulsions were replaced with a feeling like my heart was going to explode at any moment."

Strange, unfortunately, is serious. He's talking about taking poison with the same sort of flippant tone as one would discuss the weather.

[whattaprick]

Lambert blinks, lazily. "Is that what you did for entertainment on the Peninsula?" It explains the tolerance for White Gull, anyway.

"What were you trying to do?" He has an inkling, based on what Strange has mentioned before, but detailed explanations on the rationale for deliberate self-poisoning was not part of that particular exchange.

[kingsroads]

"That's what I did for study in Venice. Before I learned the secret to madness, I tried different plants in combinations of various potency in the hopes that one of them would be what I needed."

Again, it's just explained as something that happened. Why would he hide that information to begin with? He wanted to become mad, those sorts of plants were useful for madness, of course Strange would take them to see their effects.

[whattaprick]

"And were they?" Lambert raises his brows. "What you needed, I mean."

The way Strange spoke about it before, it didn't sound like loading up on the green and leafy poisonous plants was what eventually got him the results he desired. While waiting for Strange's answer, he'll take the opportunity to take a long drink from the water bottle to soothe his parched throat.

[kingsroads]

"No," Strange answers, with a shake of his head. "They brought hallucinations and made me sick to my stomach but they didn't make me mad. The gift of madness came from somewhere else."

He can't help but frown as he remembers that time. It was worth it in the end--after all, perhaps he would have found something had Flora not idly mentioned the key to what he wanted. But poisoning yourself is never a pleasant memory to begin with.