⇨ THE MATRIX

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE!
When: S1:D22 - S1:D??
Where: Visiting the Matrix.
What: The carnival arrives at its next location, as outlined here. This is a general mingling log for convenience purposes, but players are welcome to make as many other logs for this purpose as desired.
Warnings: Could be a lot of things.

THE MATRIX↴ "What IS the Matrix? The Matrix is a system, Neo. That system is our enemy. But when you're inside, you look around, what do you see? Businessmen, teachers, lawyers, carpenters. The very minds of the people we are trying to save. But until we do, these people are still a part of that system and that makes them our enemy. You have to understand, most of these people are not ready to be unplugged. And many of them are so inured, so hopelessly dependent on the system, that they will fight to protect it." ► INSIDE: On the inside, it all seems so normal. Beyond what you know of the reality you've stepped in, every bit of this place feels just as real as it did back in the carnival. If you were to forget where you'd just come from, would you know any different? The simulation of Chicago is identical to how it would have been in the early days of the new millenia, to anyone who comes from a similar Earth. Humans bustle around you, oblivious to the world outside of the Matrix that they were born into. One bright side to it all is that this hyper realism means the coffee tastes just as good as it does in real life. Anything you could do in real Chicago you can do here - and perhaps even more. ► WHITE ROOM: But before that, you were here. The White Room is a loading program, intended to port objects and people into the Matrix. You arrive as a reconstruction of your true physical form, but common sense suggests that for some of you, entering the mundane world looking like yourself isn't the best idea. It's in this empty world that you will be able to load in whatever physical objects you are, and change the way you present your own body to the system. Changes can be little, or big, but whatever you do, the body has to be able to function according to Earth's physical laws. Don't forget, if you die here, you die in the carnival too. ► DEJA VU: It doesn't matter what you're doing, but at some point you'll notice it - something around you has repeated itself, like a line on a skipping record. Maybe it's the same person bumping into you twice in a row, or the same cab driver yelling at you to get out of the way. It's like reality has rewound and repeated itself, and after the fact you have no proof of it happening beyond the memory of what you saw. You don't know what it means, but something about it is chilling. It may be a good time to find a buddy. ► THE ONE: It won't necessarily come naturally, but in a moment of need you may find yourself bending the world of the Matrix through sheer belief and force of need. How you bend it will always stay without the rules of the universe, at least for now, but when it comes to enhancing your own physical characteristics, just about anything is possible. It will not be easily reproducible, not now, but it could be your first view into the window of what's possible.

Comments

[waitingforplayer2]

[ She pulls her hoodie back up, hiding her ears again. She was sure of herself, but now she isn't. ]

I thought you'd figured it out... you did see what happened, right?

[ It's hard to explain, but she works it out in her head. ] Things are different here. You don't have to be afraid of the same things, exactly. You know?

-- I mean, the van didn't hit us either! [ Even if they did cause some property damage. ]

[atouts]

They missed us. [ That's what he saw, but apparently there's more. Still frowning, he thinks on it. ] You think we moved them?

[ That's the best guess he can muster. He had noticed something strange the first time around. ]

And even if that thing didn't hit us, you were inviting trouble. That isn't fear, that's being sensible.

[waitingforplayer2]

We did!

[ First him, and then her. But her ears wilt and she looks down. ]

I guess so. Sorry.

[atouts]

Try not to do it again.

[ No pity for sad cat girls, sorry, Chiaki, though that will be the end of the scolding for now. It may have been reckless, but it had still proven something. ]

How is that meant to work, anyhow? Just waving your hand at it? There must be more to it than that.

[waitingforplayer2]

There... yeah, there is. [ She frowns, thinking. ]

It doesn't always work perfectly. You have to want it, but I don't think that's all there is to it.

[atouts]

That's never all there is to it. [ If it's at all like using magic... but different? He has to think about it for a few seconds, brow furrowed in thought before he adds, ] Maybe something like having a conversation? Asking the world to act in a different way?

[waitingforplayer2]

... How do you do it? Back home.

[ He's mentioned magic. Surely that's similar? ]

[atouts]

Just like that. Listening for something just behind the rest of the world and asking it to do what you want, in a way.

[ Some might describe it as a song or something similar to that, but that always seemed like a terribly romantic notion to him. ]

There's a matter of wanting it to be, as you said, but it's not going to do anything unless you ask or have the will to make it do so regardless.

[waitingforplayer2]

Asking...

[ That's a very polite way to change the world. Chiaki thinks. ] You make it sound like a conversation in a RPG.

[atouts]

[ Well, it asking isn't required so much as the will to part, but... ]

A what?

[ Okay, Chiaki. You lost him at RPG. ]

[waitingforplayer2]

It's a... kind of game. [ She has got to remember to be more careful about when she uses game metaphors! ]

But-- a conversation, right?

[atouts]

[ He's not a hip kid with the video games, Chiaki! Or really much technology at all, actually. ]

Yes. Something like that. You couldn't have moved that vehicle without the world itself deciding to help a little, I imagine.

[waitingforplayer2]

Hmm.

[ She looks up, tapping her chin and thinking. As she does, she happens to notice the wide gap between one building and another. Her eyes flick from one to another. And then she smiles. ]

I gotta try something. But-- first I gotta find a friend. I'll see you later, John, okay?

[atouts]

[ Does he even want to know? No, no, probably not. ]

You might. [ Depends on how long he cares to hang out in this weird place. ] Do try to stay out of trouble, Miss Nanami.

[waitingforplayer2]

[ Jumping across buildings several stories above the ground? What could go wrong? ]

You too, John! [ She thinks to call over her shoulder before rushing in the opposite direction. ]