⇨ 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

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

[Zecora joins him in that scrutiny, imagining his homeworld as she does. He must be used to places more like Ponyville.]

I hear Manehatten looked this way
I ought to go there, when I return someday.

[dontpokethat]

Yeah? I'll admit, I've thought some if I might want to look at more cities once I'm back in my world... but in the end, I think I might prefer to stick to smaller towns, after all.

In the meantime, I guess this can act as practice for you to get used to this kind of place, huh?

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

Any experience is good.
I'd love the help, if you would?

[dontpokethat]

Sure would. [He looks around thoughtfully before picking out a direction more or less at random.] Want to try heading that way, see what we find?

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

Then without hesitation
We have our destination.

[Perfectly fine with random, Zecora sets off in that direction, Ginko at her side. She's not openly gaping, merely looking around with the sort of casual confidence that won't mark her as an outsider.]

[dontpokethat]

[Fortunately, as much as he may not be used to places like this, Ginko isn't too bad at not staring himself. To an outside observer, the two probably won't stick out too much from the crowd.

Unless someone listens too closely to their conversation, anyway.]

Do there even need to be this many stores in one place? This seems a little excessive.

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

Stores flock together
Like birds of a feather.
If people wish to buy
There is no reason why
They should have to venture far
From where the first stores are.

[dontpokethat]

Well, yeah, I understand having different kinds of shops in one place. But there are... what, three clothing stores in sight right now? Who needs that many?

[Probably people who don't wear the same thing every day, Ginko.]

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

[Ahhh. Zecora offers him an amused smile.]

If you sought to compete
Why wear out customers' feet?

[dontpokethat]

Maybe so. But if you space them out, people who live further apart can just go to whichever is convenient, right?

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

Whichever store's more central is closer to more
So each moves closer to the middle than before.

[dontpokethat]

...Huh. Guess that does make sense. And it does mean that we're probably going the right way if we're looking for an apothecary.

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

[A thought occurs to Zecora, which has her frowning as she touches a finger to her cheek.]

Even if one draws near
Will we know how it will appear?

[dontpokethat]

That... might be a problem, yeah. Maybe we could tell from the sign? Though I guess they might be labeled differently here.

...I guess just keep an eye out and check anywhere that looks promising.

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

With no limits on time
That plan seems sublime.

[dontpokethat]

True. But we could probably check out at least a few that way.

Otherwise, I guess asking locals could work, but... I don't know if we should talk to them more than we have to.

[Sure, they could make something up easily enough about being from out of town, but he still feels like there's a good chance of someone figuring out that something is up with the two of them.]

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

That is nothing I'd advise.
Avoiding contact would be wise.

[Given their unusual status here, and the fact that they lack any ability to save themselves beyond this curious vision-knowledge that she doesn't know how to use...]

[dontpokethat]

Yep. So, looking around and hoping for the best it is, then. ...Though I haven't seen anywhere that looks likely so far.

[zebrarhyme_everytime]

On that I must agree
I know little of what I see.

[In truth, that is a bit alarming to her. A great number of the stores and shops here are selling goods she flatly doesn't understand.]