lostcarnival | ⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

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⇨ CAMPING GROUNDS

Who: Everybody!
When: Day 64
Where: The Camping Grounds
What: While the Ringmaster attempts to purge the carnival of magical tracing spells and deal with the angry fire fae in her belly, everyone else is getting sent on an emergency camping trip with some unusual local fauna.
Warnings: Camping.

CRYPTIC CAMPGROUNDS↴

You're given about three hours to prepare, after the Ringmaster tells you her plans for the coming week. There is a vast selection of camping equipment at your disposal, and the means to take along enough food for the length of the stay. The wilderness of the planet you're left on is nearly idyllic, but some people just don't like the great outdoors.

► CRYPTOZOOLOGY: As it turns out, the carnival won't be alone here. There is a varied ecosystem of cryptids to be found as well, living in relative peace and mostly reacting to the newcomers with curiousity. More details can be found on the plotting post. You are free to NPC the cryptids as much as you need to, as long as you stick to the behaviours described.

► DREAMSHARING: There is a player plot going on which will allow characters to share dreams! These are specifically more dreams than nightmares, and the mushi-adept characters will be here to help.

► CHILLAX: There isn't any plot twist for this setting, so this is mostly an opportunity to decompress from the last plot and get ready for the future. The Ringmaster will show up occasionally to help with needed medical treatments and check on things, but won't stick around for long.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

As it turns out? It's damn easy to sneak up on Strange. He's sitting in front of the lake, deep in thought, not really looking at anything. A family of Loch Ness Monsters frolic in a way that would be absolutely adorable if Strange was paying them the slightest bit of attention. But he's lost in thought, looking vaguely off to the edge of the lake as he thinks about something.

Occasionally he's making scratches in the earth with a stick. It looks vaguely like a football plan, with lots of x's and a large o. But there's also a few spirals and stars, like Strange was doing the drawing in the dirt equivalent of doodling.

Unless 9S completely bungles his stealth, it's pretty easy to sneak up on him.

Fortunately, 9S is at least somewhat competent at sneaking. Especially since Strange is hardly paying any attention to his surroundings. This will be too easy!

Grinning from his place behind a tree, 9S reaches out with his hand, a faintly glowing ring of light encircling his wrist, before what appears to be a beam of energy gets fired at Strange.

He knows that a forced entry like this -- even when caught unawares -- will typically result in a glimpse of the things currently bothering the target. He won't do anything that will make apparent his intrusion just yet; he just wants to observe the shape of his hacking will take; he doesn't know how well the conversation from hacking mechanical to organic will work, but here goes nothing!!

9S gets a glimpse of a whole lot of worry. Strange's thoughts are a jumble of things, conversations overlapping and scattered all over the place. "--being a sword for you--" "I trusted you because--" "--kill me yourself--" "--Had Zangetsu waited a few more seconds--" "--to choose how you wanted me to die." "It's tactics, Lambert." "He changed you." Strange's worries may be a jumble, but that last thought rings through his mind as clear as day. The whole process lasts a moment or two before his thoughts cut off as Strange's slight magical sensitivity twigs him onto something weird.

Something magical is happening and he has no idea what the hell it is. Strange gets to his feet, frowning slightly, as he calls forth his third eye. Three small burn scars on Strange's forehead, hand, and forearm light themselves up with magical fire. And Strange squints at...something. He's looking around, trying to find the source of the magic and conveniently not noticing 9S.

The biggest problem is that the third eye is best at identifying magic that Strange is familiar with. And, aside from the appearance of carnival magic, he's got no idea what the hell is going on or what (if anything) he should do about it. He's obviously slightly irritated about the whole thing.

Hm... What's up with that? It has to be something important if those words are sitting in Strange's brainspace like that. It's got to be about his capture and rescue. Was it really that bad...?

He isn't here to rifle through Strange's memories, though, as interesting as they are.

The hacking space is a little different from what he's used to, which he expected. It's not so surprising for an organic being to be different from a mechanical one.

Alright, let's see if we can get you to do something simple.

"Hug the nearest tree," he commands Strange.

Strange has a big fat weakness and that's called his inability to deal with any sort of mental attack. He can't stop himself as he starts walking towards a tree. But he can continue to try and figure out what the hell this magic is.

He's keeping his third eye going as he walks. Whatever this is, it isn't fae—that's good! So logically speaking, it's probably a carnival member fucking with him, which means that Strange is already planning revenge of some sort.

By the time he's gotten to a tree and is wrapping his arms around it, Strange decides that this is dumb. He changes tactics and starts murmuring a spell of disenchantment. Because his spellbreaking works best via dumb kisses and the closest thing to Strange's mouth is a tree, he's just continuing to mutter the disenchantment invocation, hoping that's enough power to push through whatever the hell this is.

The spell of disenchantment to 9S is much like seeing Strange's mental defences coming online. Defences that are attempting to eject him out. Well, that makes this a bit harder now that Strange has twigged onto his presence. If he can just shut that down...

But humans aren't quite like a machine. He can't quite dismantle them in the same way.

"Stop using magic."

It's a command that directly opposes Strange's current plans, so it's a matter of the power behind Strange's invocation plus Strange's will pitted 9S' own will.

The problem here is that 9S is telling Jonathan Strange to stop using magic. And considering that Strange has built his entire identity and entire life around magic, not using it doesn't make any sense. The command doesn't really take.

His will falters for a moment but Strange continues to cast the disenchantment spell on himself. At the same time, he's attempting to let go of the tree because yeah, that's stupid.

Unfortunately for 9S, Strange's disenchantment spell takes. Without magic to allow him entry into Strange's mind, 9S' consciousness is unceremoniously dumped back into his body, a sharp lance of pain briefly causing static in his vision.

"Damn," he mutters under his breath. Hacking humans is certainly more involved and slower than hacking machines. Maybe he just needs more practice.

He's still hidden behind a different tree to the one Strange is hugging -- being behind him -- but he's not making any further effort of hiding.

His third eye is still going and his magical eyes are on fire. And now that he's actively dispelled the magic, it's easy to view it and trace it to it's source. He walks over to where the magic came from, only to find it's 9S.

Well. Strange is a bit surprised by that. He looks confused for a moment before the expression shifts to a raised eyebrow and a wry smile. Yeah, you're busted, he knows it was you, Nines.

"Do you mind explaining just what the hell that magic was?"

Strange isn't angry at being mind-controlled. If anything, there's a hint of interest in his voice. Because seriously, what the hell was that? And when did 9S learn to do it?

Busted. Oh well. 9S steps out from behind the tree.

"It's from the Ringmaster." Which doesn't explain anything at all. "All it does is translate my functions that are normally only usable on mechanical beings for use on the organic." He brings his hand to his chin as he mentally reviews his short stint in Strange's head. "Though hacking a human is really different from dealing with a machine."

And he's yet to try the details mentioned in the book he'd gotten from the library. He could start with something simple, like breaking Lambert's mind control magic on someone else...

Strange doesn't understand much of what 9S is talking about. Hacking machines? He's got a vague idea, thanks to a visit to a digital world, but that still doesn't explain much. Strange frowns, obviously confused.

"My world doesn't have anything remotely close to the machines you know to begin with," he reminds 9S. "What exactly is hacking?"

"Er. Right."

Get with the times, Strange!

"Hacking is the process of gaining access to or control over mechanical systems through exploiting weaknesses in their programming. Machines are completely mechanical, so it means I can do things like access their memory data for information. Orrr seize control of them."

Strange is slowly starting to see some of the applications of how hacking could work for people. Because obviously 9S was able to seize control of him. But access memory data for information? On the one hand, that sounds useful. On the other hand, he's not entirely sure how he feels about this accessing memory data part.

"You'll need to do that to Lambert one day," Strange idly muses. "Give him a taste of his own medicine."

That's how it feels when you use Axii on people, you jerk! But there's still a few things about this process that Strange has a billion questions about. "Through that hacking, could you access my memories?"

9S was already planning to, but Strange doesn't need to know that.

I've already seen some of them...

But he keeps his expression impassive, grateful his visor hides his eyes from view. "Theoretically, yes. Buuut... humans aren't exactly the same as machines so there are some things I can't do."

Anyway...

"I was planning on using this to break enemy mind control over people. But I need more practice."

9S admitting practice could actually improve his skill in something? Say it isn't so!

Strange is taking 9S's statement at face value. After all, he'd know the most about this hacking thing. If he says he can't do that, then Strange will accept that he can't do that.

But the idea of practice is enough to make Strange start to think. He can't enthrall people, thank God. But he wants to help 9S practice and get better at this somehow. Because anything that could help break enemy mind control is a good idea in his book.

"I can't help with the breaking mind control part of this," he muses, "but I was able to break your hold on me. If you try to control me and I try to break it, then that should help both of us." And Strange really needs to boost up his spellbreaking anyway.

9S puts his hand to his chin as he considers Strange's suggestion.

"I was going to ask Lambert to use his spell on y-" he catches himself, "one of us so I can try breaking his enchantment while someone is controlled."

His life hacking is significantly slower than hacking anything else with circuitry. If he wants to make use of this, he'll need to learn how to apply it while there could be countless other things happening. Like, say, combat.

"But we can start with your idea." 9S' expression turns grim. "If you can break through my hacking so easily, then it's useless."

Thankfully for 9S, Strange doesn't notice that brief change of words. He's far too focused on the idea of life hacking and the applications 9S's magic might hold.

"I need more experience breaking enchantments on myself anyway," Strange responds, with a little nod. Every time something like this happens, people bring up Strange's lack of mental defenses. And in his mind, the best way to deal with mental attacks or enthrallments is simply to be better than whatever's trying to enthrall you in the first place.

Strange takes a few steps away from 9S, just to put a bit of distance between the two of them. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Well, Strange clearly has his guard up right now, which is always harder to deal with. Sure, the aim might be to improve their respective magics, but that doesn't mean 9S has to play fair.

9S half turns in a shrug -- which also gives Strange a glipse of the bone 'tongue' poking out the back of his head -- as he says, "Actually, nevermind. I've changed my mind."

Strange is about to protest and complain that dude, you were the one who said that you wanted to do this...when 9S turns around and Strange gets a glimpse of something poking out of his head. Something really gross looking.

There's an awkward pause as Strange moves to try and get a better view of the back of 9S's head.

"Stay put," he orders, before activating his third eye and lighting himself on fire again. "You've got something odd in the back of your head."

A little part of him wants to pull on it but the rational part of Strange is pointing out that you don't yank on something that's stuck in someone's head.

He's already been made well aware of the thing at the back of his head. And what the hell, Strange? He's on fire!? strange r u ok buddy

But he's not... screaming in pain or anything so...

9S isn't going to say no to such an obvious opportunity. A circle of light around his wrist glows once more and the lightning fast beam of energy leaves 9S' hand for Strange again, attempting to hack Strange with the intent of getting Strange to turn around and walk the other way while he's distracted.

Specifically, it's his forehead, arm, and forearm that are kind of on fire, as well as his hair. Strange really doesn't seem to notice or care about the fact that he's kind of on fire, though. And his third eye isn't really telling him anything about that thing on the back of 9S's head.

But he's distracted enough that the beam of energy hits and 9S's command takes. Strange turns around and starts to walk away from 9S. But as he does so, he starts trying to cast his spellbreaking magic in response.

Last time, he wasn't able to counter the spellbreaking because the internal reaction at his command was so violent. Strange is all about magic, so maybe that's why; it'd be as if someone tried to convince him that he wasn't an android. Magic is so core to who Strange is that any attempt to breach his defenses with that sort of command is bound to fail.

So... if the problem is that his command ran against Strange's, well, core programming, then maybe he can find a way to stop the spellbreaking another way...

Tell me the latest gossip you have

If Strange is talking about something else, he can't say his spell, can he? And he knows Strange is an awful gossip.

Strange is one of the biggest gossips in the carnival. So, he stops muttering the counterspell to blurt out, "Lambert and Childermass are courting each other. But they're both idiots who wanted to keep it secret, so keep that in mind if you want to talk about it."

Hmm. New goal, try and make his magic a bit less verbal. Normally Strange doesn't care about gossip and shittalking someone but he does look a little bit guilty after that admission. He starts muttering again, but this time Strange brings his hand up to his mouth and gives it a little kiss. His spellbreaking is dumb and for whatever stupid magical reason, kissing helps break things better. This should help give his spellbreaking a bit of a boost.

"Dammit!" 9S swears as his hack is broken once more.

But it's good to know that indirect methods can win out if he's not able to directly beat out someone's will. Or he could use it as a method of disabling certain functions... He's still getting a feel for living beings' neurological pathways and for a second attempt it isn't bad.

Still, he has to get better.

"Is that really the latest you have? That's old news already!"

"I was dead for a week," Strange points out, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Forgive me if I'm behind on the gossip."

He can't help but feel a little annoyed at 9S criticizing his choice of dirt. It's not that Strange prides himself on being a gossip, it's just that he hates to be considered out of the loop. So he frowns a little bit, trying to scrounge up some better gossip than what he gave 9S.

"Here we go. According to West, the Ringmaster seemed embarrassed about the whole 'eating Ignatius as a dragon' business. I don't know why, but I suspect the matter is a bit sensitive for her."

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