lostcarnival | ⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 47 - Day 58 ish
Where: The Athenaeum
What: The carnival arrives at book world. First week, they'll be performing for magical manifestations of book characters. Second week, it's time to hunt (for books, in the library.) Around Day 58 some stuff will occur.
Warnings: Reading is mandatory.

FAERIE TALES↴

Though the carnival will be performing for its guests in the first week, they are welcome to search the Athenaeum while they are off duty during that time. The manifestations of story characters will be out in full force during performance week, with animals, people, objects, and even locations growing out from various tales. Most are distracting at worst, and will be curious to check out the carnival. Some, however, can be as dangerous as they were in their stories of origin. You know what to do.

► IT'S TIME TO ROLEPLAY: The best way to deal with book ghosts is to follow their narrative to its logical conclusion - turn the tables, work the story so it ends in your favour! Naturalistic and narratively satisfying plotting will have the manifestations following your lead. However, push too hard and introduce too many plot holes, inconsistencies, or illogical plot twists, and they will reject your reality utterly, becoming quite aggressive in the process. You can also use your natural abilities and powers to fight them in a traditional sense, but in the Ringmaster's experience, it's best to fight reality benders by bending reality right back at them. If you aren't careful, it's possible to be dragged fully into a story's reality, and then things get really messed up.

► IT'S ALSO TIME TO READ: The carnival came here for a purpose, and that purpose is to research. Specifically, the Ringmaster is looking for information on the Queen's Miracles - the set of ancient fae artifacts that the Blue Rose is one of. The carnival needs these artifacts to defend itself, but nobody knows where they've been for thousands of years. That's what the books are for. However, nothing is stopping you from pursuing knowledge for personal reasons. The halls are open to your perusal, and only your heart can guide you to the book you truly seek. Check the plot post to see what's allowed, and sign up to find plot info or other important game information below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Um... there's lots of stuff, I guess," he admits, with a tone that suggests he's just as befuddled by it as anyone else. "Some of the things I can do from here is the same stuff, but bigger. Like, I could grow plants into little people back home, too."

He starts counting it off on his fingers.

"And I can summon a shield, make protective bubbles, jump really high, float, lift heavy stuff, fuse with other people, heal things, and... um. Sort of bring them back to life? But I only did that once and I don't really know how."

He puzzles over that for a moment, and then shrugs helplessly.

"But the one I was talking about was me kind of... leaving my body, and going into other people's bodies, or their dreams, or their memories? Or just... feeling stuff that other people are feeling. Though that got way more intense since I started being a faerie."

There's at least two different things here that Strange wants to question. One is the 'fuse with people' thing because what the hell does that even mean. But the more pressing question is the fact that Steven somehow managed to accidentally do necromancy.

Strange just stares, mouth slightly ajar, not even paying attention to that other bit about going into people's dreams. When he brought corpses back to life, that required blood! And incantations! And the bit where he had to spit in the corpse's mouth, but that's gross magic shit that Strange isn't going to focus on right now. And Steven somehow managed to bring someone back accidentally?

Strange thought that Steven didn't know much about his changeling magic. But no, looks like Steven doesn't know much about his magic period. "How do you bring someone back without knowing how?! That makes no sense!"

The depths to which Steven does not know things really knows no bounds.

"Well, it was like when I heal people but... I healed him from being dead! And then he turned pink and stopped having to eat and maybe he'll have superpowers now? I don't really understand."

He sighs, and refocuses his explanation.

"The magic I was born with isn't the same as the stuff that you and Mr Childermass have learned from studying. It's just... part of me, and most of it is controlled by my feelings, and sometimes things just happen and I never really end up figuring out what exactly I did or felt that caused it in the first place."

He sinks down onto the table, exhausted with himself.

"Gems are born with their powers, and know how to do everything they have to do from the day they're made. But... I'm only half gem, so I don't get that."

There's a brief moment where Strange looks like he's going to yell at every gem in the carnival. For someone so intent on learning and knowing things as Strange is, accepting something as 'it just happens' is not in the cards.

"Nothing 'just happens'," Strange points out. "Your magic expresses itself for a reason. What we need to do is find the particular triggers for your magic so you'll know why it acts up and the limitations of your magic so you'll know what you can do and how best to do it."

Steven doesn't even really disagree with that. He knows that he can get better at using things... there are just a lot of powers he's never tried to push his limits with.

"I've done a lot of training for my battle powers, but... I guess there's a lot of things I only end up using sometimes, when it comes up. Like the dream magic... I feel kind of weird doing it? Don't... you remember that time I found you in that dark place with the candle?"

It went okay, but he feels like showing up in a dream at all is sort of awkward.

"I...I'm not sure. I think so?" Remembering someone's dreams is hard to begin with, remembering a dream that someone had a few months ago is even harder. Still, there's something familiar about Steven's description that has Strange frowning slightly as he tries to remember.

That small little frown is still on his face as he continues to talk.

"It's no use practicing your magic if you only focus on the battle magic," Strange explains. "Magic is so much more than creating a shield or setting someone on fire. And if you want any help in testing your limits and developing that sort of magic, you only need to ask."

Steven frowns too, starting to snap a few pictures of the picture book with his phone while he thinks. Everything Strange does seems pretty different.

"I think Gems are more like faeries or dragons than wizards," he says. "We're just born with stuff we can do. It... probably doesn't work like you're used to."

It's a gentle warning more than a flat out denial.

"You can still practice it," Strange stubbornly responds. Because again, he's not accepting 'sometimes things just happen' as an answer. If they 'just happen', then Steven should be able to figure out why they happen, how they happen, and what he can do to make them happen on their own terms. And he might not be able to teach Steven how to do something the way he helped teach Yuya, but maybe he might be able to help Steven get a smidge of control over the other parts of his gem magic.

"Take that dream magic, for example. Can you choose to go into someone's dream?"

He's got a worrying feeling the answer is 'no.'

⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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