⇨ WISMUTH

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: S2:D6-D11
Where: Wismuth and the Carnival Grounds
What: The carnival enjoys a few days in Wismuth, a coastal city on this planet's version of the American east. However, there are a few things very unique about this version of the planet...
Warnings: The usual, wholesome fun.

PILLAR OF CREATION↴ Upon arriving, things in Wismuth will seem pretty peaceful. It's a massive city, with no shortage of things going on, but things like violent crime and homelessness are at an all time low. You can wander the streets without much scrutiny, presumed to just be tourists, and most people here come across as helpful and friendly. ► VIBRANCY: The main thing that sets this planet apart is its vibrancy - AKA, the raw creative energy its filled with, flowing from its status as a Pillar of Creation. There is no literal pillar, but Wismuth and its planet is a place where Creation's energy comes through strongest. As a result, everything here feels somehow more real, more intense in a way that's hard to put a finger on. Life is abundant, and its bleeds through in every sensation. ► ATTRACTIONS: There are plenty of things to see while going around the city. First and foremost, there is a lovely beach area bordering the ocean, and a number of tourist aimed attractions built around it. There are giant malls, movie theaters, live stage performances, museums and all kinds of other points of cultural interest. Anything you can do in a big city you can do here, but better. ► ALLOWANCES: The Ringmaster will be giving everyone a reasonable amount of local currency for a few days on the town. You can't make any massive acquisitions with it, but it's more than enough to eat out, see some shows, go to the beach, and whatever you like. You can feel free to pick up some casual supplies, like mundane clothing and souvenirs. There will be more given out later, after the performance week. ► PERFORMANCE: Performance week is starting early this time, after only a couple days of exploration. When the carnival has already been on vacation for a month, the Ringmaster figures they may as well get right to it, and then do more touring afterwards. Members of the local populace will find themselves in the carnival once performances begin, dazzled by the other worldly sights. Magic doesn't seem to exist here, despite the fact that it will flow easier for people bringing it from other worlds.

Comments

[espigeon]

Chicken squinting. Malice concentrated in beady little eyes on a little pointed face, red comb wobbling. Julien laughs again, just a tremor in his great tail, and is glad this body can't laugh in a way most people can interpret. He has a general impression of displeasure from the robot chicken just now, and it's better not to make it worse. Even though he has no idea what he just said to cause offense.

"Ah, well, it's something shared by all living beings. The experiences and memories of the dead are kinda pooled and we have a little bit of access to them. That's why everyone dreams of the same symbols now and then. The ocean underground, the stranger with gifts or seeds, the great forest that's one tree, those awful towers, so on and so forth, and that's where the truedreams are from and why we have sharedreams." He says this blithely. Obviously everyone here has dreams like that, everyone where he's from does.

Huh. He hasn't had any of those dreams in a while. "It's also sort of... all right, look, it's been a while. But everyone and everything is part of something greater that's alive in us and remembers everything that came before, and there's ways that it, she, can become more aware of you, specifically."

[dressedtothe]

Even if the body language is different from humanoids, there's clear amusement in Julien's reaction. 9S doesn't realise he's bristling, feathers fluffing as he does so.

But what Julien's saying quickly distracts 9S from his annoyance. He doesn't know what it's like to dream. Dreams are something that humans experience when they sleep. But androids don't have any awareness of anything while they're in sleep mode or shut down. It's just... nothing. Emptiness. A great void.

He doesn't understand.

Is that what separates the biological from the mechanical? The feeling of connection to something larger than themselves? He's never felt anything like that. From the moment of his birth, he felt alone. The rift between himself and his creators has never seemed so big before. But what Julien is saying... Are biological beings also networked? But can only carry the memories of those who passed before them?

9S shakes his head, the clucks that come from his beak sounding oddly subdued.

< Validity of statement, unknown. Mechanical beings like this pod and Unit 9S are unable to dream >

[espigeon]

Whoops. He keeps making the chicken angrier! That's hilarious and he should really stop. Julien puffs out the feathers in his face and dips his head; he doesn't have the long slender neck of a swan, but he knows their "I'm sorry" gesture.

"Oh! That's a shame. Well, uh, at least it means you don't have nightmares?" Julien really hasn't had those dreams in a while. Maybe since joining the Carnival? It must be because he's not connected here. Most of the people he's met are human but somehow, it's not happening.

"Anyway, the connection is itself alive. All life kind of has a little bit of the collective soul of its world in it, it's kind of sort of like the idea of a hive mind, but the hive part is happy to let the individual pieces think their own thoughts. Live their own lives." It hadn't always been like that, some of the oldest dreams are pretty dire, but she'd learned. "Back home I met someone who taught me how to communicate just a little bit more with her and told me she needed help. We have this whole problem with things from other realities coming in and mostly wanting to kill everyone."

It's all considerably more complicated than that but this is reminding him of the summaries he'd give the media, at home. It was important not to seem too crazy.

[dressedtothe]

It all sounds like YoRHa's network, just. Well, the network is managed by androids, not itself. A connection that is alive... 9S wonders what that would be like. If their network was a living being.

But at the mention of things from other realities coming in and killing everyone, 9S lets out a squawk of laughter. Them, too?

< Query: Does the otherworldly particle, maso, exist within your reality? >

[espigeon]

"If it does, I haven't heard of it by that name. Otherworldy particle..." He clicks his pink beak thoughtfully. "Some of the aliens - uh, some people like calling them 'outsiders' or even 'foreigners' but really now, they might as well be aliens - some of them are really big on using matter from our world, and there's just a few that I think come in physically, they have their own substance. But I haven't heard about it being special?"

The sun comes out from behind a cloud. Julien fans his tail out and half extends his wings, not entirely aware of how he's moving to take advantage of the radiant heat. "I'll tell you that there was something alien like a billion years ago that put some mystery things down in the planet itself and we're pretty sure that's what the others are after? There's a lot of mysteries going, I'll level with you."