⇨ 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

[atouts]

Well, I can't argue with that.

[ Because he's more liable to agree with it than anything else. It's not all that far off from his own thoughts.

As for the cards, he doesn't make much effort to hide what they are. There's a fair chance Joker, of all the people here, might actually have an idea what the cards mean, but figuring out the specifics is something that takes more than a glance. Should he actually look during that playful show at it, the cards that Childermass hold are the Moon, The Tower reversed, the Nine of Swords, Knave of Wands, Ten of Wands reversed, the High Priestess, the Wheel of Fortune, Two of Coins, and, the last, the King of Cups.

He'll look up at Joker, shrugging. ]

It's not a matter of liking. These are always the cards I pull when I ask about myself. Seemed a good way to test them.

[pipers_son]

Oh, they can be that reliable, huh?

[For all that he knows a bit about tarot- enough to remember that the Moon is usually not a good sign, he thinks- the exact meaning of it all escapes him. Still, he’d never thought they’d be like that… Although, then again, anything can happen, he supposes.]

[atouts]

In the right hands. [ He folds the cards back into the full deck and busies himself with reshuffling. ] That's all already come to pass. If they had come out differently, I would have known they don't work for me here. Well, either that or something's gone horribly wrong, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

[pipers_son]

Well, all’s well, then.

[Hopefully that will prove to stick throughout the rest of this stop. Joker would like it if their stops for at least this season could continue to be peaceful, or at least not that much of a danger. For now, he gestures to the way out.]

So, are ya ready ta go explorin’ this place now?

[atouts]

[ Cards shuffled, he'll tuck the deck into the inside pocket of his suit coat. ]

As ready as I'll ever be. [ And since it sounds like Joker is tagging along, well, he let him go first last time. Only makes sense to lead the way this one. ] Let's be off.

[ And he'll turn to go. However the White Room works, it only takes a few steps away from the center of it to suddenly be dumped out into the digital copy of Chicago, by the nearest phone booth. For Childermass, that's a thousand times more startling than anything that happened in the dream realm.

So when Joker catches up, he's going to find the poor man holding very still and staring up, way up, at the skyscrapers around them. It's not so much fear as it is uncertainty. He's from the 1800s. Cities like this simply don't exist yet. ]

[pipers_son]

[Keeping his (false, digital) hand tucked in one pocket until he knows how to use it better, Joker steps through with just a sharp inhale from the unfamiliar experience. He’s been through more than a few things while traveling with the carnival, but nothing quite like that yet. Tugging at his coat front to adjust it, he looks for Childermass and gives a dry smile.]

[Ha. Oh boy. He recognizes that look.]

[Yeah, somehow, it was a shock to him to see something more manmade fantastical than magically unbelievable, too. Magic, fairy tales, those you can accept, but realizing what just plain human perseverance is capable of? How much it changes everything you once knew? Yeah.]

Impressive sight, innit?

[atouts]

[ A look someone like Childermass prefers to only use rarely, though he wonders if it might not be getting more use than usual the longer he stays with this mad circus. Magic is all too real in his own universe, but skyscrapers? Planes far overhead? The sheer amount of noise and people? This is just disorienting. ]

Ah. [ Which isn't an answer, but an uncertain noise before he gathers enough of his wits to at least offer Joker a, ] Yes. Yes, it is.

[ Loathe as he is to gawk, it's so hard not to. That means once he decides to move on, he's still a little too distracted to realize, hey, maybe stepping onward out into the street is a really bad idea. On that note, guess who also isn't aware of cars being a thing? ]

[pipers_son]

[Okay, nope, nope-! Joker hastily reaches out to jerk Childermas back by his coat before he can get himself killed, a startled noise leaping out of him.]

Ho there-! Not so fast, gotta be careful in places like this!

[atouts]

[ Just in the nick of time, too, because almost as soon as he's yanked back a step, a car rushes by to fill that space for all of a second. That only helps startle Childermass even further back onto the sidewalk. ]

What in the devil was that?!

[ He's also sounding more offended by the car than scared of it. Like, what the hell was that rude thing? ]

[pipers_son]

[Somehow, the offense to his tone just makes the whole scene, and Joker jerkily raises his false right arm to laugh into the crook of his elbow.]

It’s, ha, sorta like a carriage, but no horses, and a whole bloody faster. Worlds like this have ‘em all over.

[atouts]

Well! [ Well. Now that they've actually been pointed out, he can't help but give any additional passing cars a disapproving look to go with the offense. ] I don't think I like them much at all.

[ Which was already very clear, Childermass, but thanks for stating the obvious. ]

How does anyone walk anywhere with them dashing about like that?

[pipers_son]

[This is why he loves his job. He gets to see new worlds, meet new people…. See those new people get offended at how ridiculous new worlds are… Struggling to get control of himself, Joker takes in a deep breath. Alright. Responsible supervisor time now. He can do it.]

Well, folks tend ta stay on the concrete, for one. [He taps his foot.] And there’s lights around that tell ya when it’s good ta cross the road at places. Green for go, red for stop. At least, that’s how it’s been done the last few times I’ve been ta worlds like this.

[Another wide grin, because it’s impossible to keep the amusement off his face.]

It’s a right bit of chaos, but it’s organized chaos, I guess ya could say.

[atouts]

[ Yes, yes, someone used to this must find his reaction terribly amusing. Childermass will, of course, frown at Joker, but he's not sure he can blame him for all that grinning. So, rather than just spend this whole time scowling at the man, he'll look up and down the street, trying to spot the lights being mentioned.

Ah, there. ]

I see. At the intersections. [ Still, kind of annoying he can't just outright cross the damn street, but with those noted, he'll be less ruffled by cars (but only a little). ] So much for this world being the more familiar one...

[pipers_son]

[One day he won’t be so insufferable. One day. Probably. Maybe.]
[Still, with that disaster averted, Joker hums and goes along with him. The observation earns a chuckle.]

Well, it’s populated by just plain ol’ humans, if that’s anythin’. I’ve found that no matter the place, so long as yer dealin’ with humans, well, they always stay mostly the same deep down inside. Just the trappin’s that are different.

[atouts]

[ No, he won't be. Saying anything otherwise would be lying. ]

But it's also populated by Americans, so we'll see.

[ Honestly, Childermass has no problem with those, but it's not going to be the same. Not totally. It's also a bit of a joke, though whether Joker can hear through his typical deadpan voice to note that, well, who knows. In any case, he's off down the street, this time waiting at the intersection for a good time to cross the street.

It's... odd. ]

We're just waiting for that up there to change?

[pipers_son]

[Sure enough, Joker’s wide grin gets a little wider at that. Americans indeed, ha.]

Yup. That much I remember, although there might be other bits- even similar places ain’t always the same, now, are they? Best ta stay… flexible.

[But then, that’s advice for wherever they show up, isn’t it? Stay flexible and aware and try not to get in too much trouble. The light suddenly changes and Joker makes a small noise, hopping off of the sidewalk.]

And there we go~. Although keep an eye out, some people are just right tossers, no matter where, ha ha!

[atouts]

I am flexible.

[ He's fit a lot of roles, but that was all also back home, where he knew pretty much everything about anything, save for what Norrell kept secret. He keeps an eye on the light until the little 'walk' sign flickers to life, then follows Joker off of the sidewalk and across the street.

He definitely eyes the stopped and waiting cars they pass. ]

Oh? I take it you mean some of them don't plan on following the same rules?

[pipers_son]

Ha, well, it’s still people makin’ those things move, and ya know people…

[People got run over by horses back in his England. Making the upgrade from living animal to a metal of monster has not stopped humanity’s innate sense of recklessness one bit, Joker has found.]

If ya think those are interestin’, I should take ya inta one of the big indoor markets they got around here. It’s a sight ta see.

[atouts]

Hmm.

[ Yeah, he knows people all right. It's a great tragedy. A horse, though, he could deal with a horse (preferably Brewer, but Brewer is sadly back home). But rather than dwell on mankind's usual poor decisions, he'll glance over again at Joker curiously, an eyebrow quirked. ]

Their big indoor markets? How are those any different than outdoor ones?

[ Well, they're here. They may as well. ]

[pipers_son]

Well, for one thing, they’re all in the same buildin’, and they have multiple floors ta the point that the height would put some castles ta shame. Ha, or at least the Crossroads did- sometimes it’s shorter for others, although they could fit a town in most of ‘em. They're also pretty handy places ta see what kinda things they're inventin' in this world, since they sell just about all sortsa interestin' things in 'em. There are even places where ya could get the radios similar ta what we use at the carnival.

And they have these movin’ stairs that get ya from one floor ta the other!

[atouts]

So one building to house one giant market.

[ With multiple floors? He's not quite sure how to picture that. He's sure he'll be wrong about it, however he does imagine a place like that. ]

I suppose they must be useful from the standpoint of figuring a world or time out, but why would the people here need such a thing? Aren't there places to shop outside of it?

[pipers_son]

Oh, for certain, but I suppose it’s easier this way. The stores these days are somethin’ ta see. Fashion’s pretty different, too- ha, although I guess ya can tell that already, huh?

[They pass by someone wearing a full outfit of denim as he says it, and Joker hides his chuckle in one hand.]

[atouts]

[ What in the world just walked by them? It's not really polite to stare, but he'll at least glance back over a shoulder to squint at that. Just... what? ]

...I'm beginning to find it miraculous that I found anything reasonable to wear in that room at all, if that's considered fashionable.

[ Of course, it helps that Childermass doesn't actually try to be fashionable. Ever. ]

[pipers_son]

[Joker ducks his head, his snicker half hidden.]

Wait until ya see other places. Are ya particularly shy about yer body, now that we’re talkin’ about it?

[atouts]

[ Joker, what kind of question is that even? The disaster in denim gone by, he'll look back over at Joker and raise an eyebrow. ]

And here I thought we were talking about clothing.