lostcarnival | ⇨ THE MATRIX

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Many worlds and many places!
By the Ringmaster's good graces
I have seen more than I knew
Existed in the cosmos, it's true.

[Curiosity and a sense of wonder had drawn the zebra away from her accustomed haunts, and even in her third year she retained that desire to learn.]

[Also she's definitely rhyming.]

[ Rhyming. She's rhyming everything she says. Okay, that's... unique, but he can deal with it. It can't be that out of place in a fairy-run circus, not even as bizarre as talking zebras or, say, a false world. ]

And in how many of those worlds and places have you been a human?

One or two--
At most a few.
Though I practice the skill
Where and when I will.

[Mastery of this form and the magics that generate it didn't come without effort, which Zecora had put in without hesitation or remorse.]

Then if I might offer some advice? I do not think a cloak like that, here, will quite suffice.

[ Well, when in Rome.]

Human fashions change greatly depending on the era.

[Zecora just doesn't have the heart to tell three-quarters of the carnival that rhyming at her like that is mildly flirtatious.]

Then what do you suggest
Would be for the best?

[ But then why is she rhyming at everyone else all the time-- well, alright, luckily that one rhyme was about all the rhyming Childermass feels up to today, anyway. As for what's best? ]

Have you considered a dress? [ Since being from the 1800s leaves 'hey, how about some a nice sweater and some jeans' out of the running for ideas here. ] Asking the room for one you might find within the world itself, I mean.

[It's only flirty when non-zebras do it to zebras, for complicated social reasons. Zebras rhyme by nature, and adapting their rhymes to each other is flirtatious; thus, those who don't rhyme at all doing so has much the same effect.]

I have not worn a dress in a while--
They are very much not my style.

[Female she might be, but not feminine by traditional Equestrian norms. The idea is very strange to imagine.]

[ Zebra life sounds really, really weird.

But, then, so does this entire conversation. ]

If not a dress, then maybe something else. It's only that cloaks like yours aren't as common as they used to be.

[ And haven't been for some time now. ]

Edited 2016-12-10 18:10 (UTC)

[Zebra life grows more complicated when non-zebras are involved.]

[Hmm, so... what would Rarity wear in a case like this? Contemplating this, Zecora makes some adjustments to her virtual form. The cloak vanishes, replaced by a sporty T-shirt and shorts.]

[Very modern. They look exotically wrong on Zecora.]

[ Yeah, no, that's not... how about not that? And even if the White Room makes the transition seamless, there's that second or two where Childermass looks away on principle. ]

Ah. That seems a little-- [ How to put it? A little too little? ] Maybe something longer?

[ He is so out of his element here, he's actually wondering if he shouldn't have just let her go around looking like some kind of witch. ]

[Zecora, generally unclothed but for a cloak as a rule, doesn't find her human body any more in need of covering than her equine one... but fortunately for human sensibilities, she respects that thing they all have about clothing.]

Do not worry you're rude.
It could be more subdued.

[Frowning, Zecora adds a couple of feet onto those shorts. Now they look at least like they could pass, if not quite right on the ex-equine.]

That it could be. [ Though with the addition to the shorts, well, it's better. It'll do. ] But that length should work.

[ But something is still missing and that would be-- ]

And shoes? I am afraid mankind is not well-known for our clean streets.

[Zecora's eyes widen, and she looks down at her feet in surprise.]

I forgot my legs were all my own!
Not ending in hooves of stone.

[Shoes, shoes. Zecora adds on a pair of sneakers. Humans wore those a lot, right?]

Easily forgotten when you don't regularly wear them.

[ Sneakers are probably acceptable, so they get a pass without comment, though he does look down at them, raising an eyebrow. ]

Your hooves were made of stone?

Not to start with, but as I stayed
They became obsidian, sharp as a blade.

Obsidian? Really? You don't worry those will break too easily?

Do not fret.
They have not yet!

[ Must be magic, then. ]

As you say. [ If they haven't, then they haven't. ] I suppose you won't find shoes quite as useful as sharp hooves, though. A sturdy work boot, maybe, if you imagine you'll have to stomp on anyone.

Stomping? Do you think I'll need
To defend against anger or greed?

[The thought hadn't even occurred to her up till now!]

One should hope not, but if you're calling your hooves sharp, I could only imagine them as a defense.

[Oh! Now she understands, and hastens to correct.]

They were not sharp as my own
But were like that as stone.

[ Ah. So only a way to describe them. ]

Does your kind not kick in self-defense, then? I apologize if I've made a poor assumption.

We do, but we rely on force
Since our legs are strong as a horse.

[Zecora allows herself a little smile at her witticism.]

I see. Well, let us hope you won't need to kick anyone regardless. Human legs certainly won't be up to your usual standard.

[Zecora idly lifts one leg to flex it at the knee a little, considering that premise.]

They are not lacking in power.
They will do in a dark hour.

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