[PUBLIC CHANNEL] RINGMASTER'S EIGHTH ADDRESS (D30)

[lordofthering]

[Around the start of the new performance week, the Ringmaster will light up everyone's radios with an important message. Or, rather, some important musing.]

Hello, this is the Ringmaster speaking. I say that for the benefit of any new arrivals - everyone else surely recognizes my voice, by now. The rest of this may leave you in the dust as it will be touching on some carnival history, but you can may questions if you want to get up to date.

So, I spent a lot of time thinking when the lot of you were busy with that Pillar drama. As most are aware, a couple months ago we went on a mission to retrieve an extremely powerful artifact called the Blue Rose, which we have been using to defend the carnival from faerie threats. Which, seems successful so far, given that Nightshade didn't dare enter the grounds the entire time we were there! A victory, indeed.

It got me thinking, though... the Blue Rose actually comes as a set. As I've explained to a few of you, the Blue Rose is an organism created by the first Queens of Arcadia. Only three artifacts of its kind exist, as far as I know, and I fairly sure that none of them are actually in faerie hands.

So, I thought... what if we were somehow able to get the other two? Not only would that be enough to ward off the Courts completely, it would go a long way to defending us against any of the other nonsense we come across! Perhaps we could even go back to business as usual, for a while...

Anyway, in an attempt to be more forthcoming, I am presenting this idea to you for general 'work shopping' purposes. I know that the Blue Rose was a big hassle to get, but we know so much more now than we did then! I think it's worth a second look.

Comments

[lordofthering]

You're a bit much, Foster. Melodramatic. I assume you know that.

[More temple rubbing.]

What spell is that?

[criticallyfucked]

I've been told.

[He doesn't really see how, but he assumes that it's related to how much repeating himself he has to do in order to get through to people. Which doesn't seem like a 'him' problem, but whatever.

It's fine!]

The spell--it's a memory curse. Or... mmmm. More like a forgetting curse, haha.

Have you heard the phrase 'out of sight, out of mind?'

It's like that. The 'victim' is forgotten the instant someone loses sight of them.

Lambert asked for a spell that would... keep his people from getting killed.

[lordofthering]

You're going to get inconsistent results with something like that, on your level. The premise is sound, however. It just can't be entirely relied upon. That's an easier sort of magic to cultivate around yourself - doing it to someone else is more complicated.

You're essentially trying to mindwipe everyone who witnesses them. It's a tall order.

[criticallyfucked]

[This was already weird--her talking to him without outright calling him or his ideas stupid, or just ending the conversation as quickly as possible.

Now she's like.... workshopping his spell rather than shutting him down. He doesn't know how to respond. Frankly, he's--a little angry? But also bewildered about it. Why doesn't she just tell him the spell is worthless, then? That's the message, right?]

....and there's no point to keeping me alive.

[Not that he wouldn't find uses for that himself, but it's not what Lambert wanted, and therefore, the spell is useless.

A spell he's wasted weeks on, weeks Lambert has waited for his worthless, inadequate--

...

Wait.]

...by my level, do you mean a human level or simply a worthless one?

[lordofthering]

[AAARGH. The Ringmaster makes a legitimate growling sound on her side of the radio, like an animal.]

Void's taint, you're so annoying! For once, I try working with you, because that's supposedly what you're offering... and you can't go a second without making everything both absurd and painfully awkward!

You're never actually happy, are you? Positive feedback, negative feedback, what does it matter? You may as well go talk to a wall for how much you listen to or comprehend the things other people say.

[criticallyfucked]

[That's... more like it!

It's a massive relief to have her lost patience and blow up at him, and he actually perks up in response.

That said, 'Void's taint' gave him an extremely different mental image at first than she probably intended.]

If the spell is worthless, then it's worthless! Just say it! Better now than it be discovered too late.

[Ha ha.]

But if merely it's a matter of me being worthless stupid trash, then I could just pass it on to someone capable.

[Someone who isn't Strange, preferably.]

[lordofthering]

Listen to me. Stop offering things you aren't willing to give, Foster. I'm not interested in playing your hyperbolic games. Practice your magic or don't.

[criticallyfucked]

[Foster squints at his walkie talkie.

He's listening, he really is, but he has no idea what that means. What is he doing wrong?! Why is this--why is this always what happens?! Lambert, Syrlya, the Ringmaster--!]

How can I give it if I don't understand what it is?!

[She compares him to talking to a wall, but he feels like someone begging the wall for answers--clawing at it, breaking himself against it, and all he gets for his pains is more fractured knuckles and bloody hands...!]

[lordofthering]

You keep saying how much you want to serve me - you wanted me to brand your ass, for god's sake!

Yet whenever I try to talk to you about you actually providing a service you have a complete meltdown. I don't care how worthess you think you are. I don't want to hear about it. What I want you to do is communicate like a rational person, and be able to listen to my opinions without crumbling to pieces, whether they be positive or negative.

If you can't manage event the slightest discussion of tactics without devolving into a self obsessed, self denigrating mess, then you really are useless to me.

TW: Passing Suicidal Ideation

[criticallyfucked]

[This would be comparable to a slap in the face, but a slap in the face would be a welcome response, and this--

The accusation of not being willing, and then of truly being useless to her--

That shakes him. Badly. Because the first is so untrue that it causes a kind of visceral pain, and the second--

At that point, he really should just die!

But he... thinks he understands. What he sees as... as the bare minimum, as necessary honesty, she sees as... a nuisance. A waste of her time. And it is, isn't it? The more time she spends... the more time she wastes on him....

Whether she believes it or not, he fully intends to give her whatever his worthless body, his disgusting soul, his stupid brain has to give.

So he thinks about it before he puts his response into words. There's a kind of cold practicality to it, but cautious, like he's wading into strange, dark waters.]

.... what do you want me to do about the spell?

[lordofthering]

[That's better. Or, at least, it's a start. Her tone relaxes a bit in turn.]

You may as well learn what you can. My comments were never an invitation to give up - simply a recommendation of what to expect and what to strive for.

[Normally she might say something like 'don't be discouraged so easily' but sometimes Foster really does need to be discouraged from things, so that's perhaps not the safest thing to enable.]

[criticallyfucked]

[That's not a directive. That's a platitude.

But there's enough of a guideline in there--telling him what her words weren't--that he returns the favour and takes a few extra seconds to try and order his own words to please her, rather than... offend.]

I. Don't understand.

[He knows that isn't the right answer. But he doesn't know what the right answer is.

You didn't tell him what to strive for--just that what he's striving for is impossible, and that these are not orders to stop. So then what?

May as well learn what he can...? What is that supposed to mean?

But he's afraid that not knowing will make her revoke her willingness to use him.

He puts on a smile.]

But I'm sure I will.

[lordofthering]

[On the Ringmaster's side of the radio, she makes private 'what the fuck?' expression, mouthing the words to herself. She's not sure if she even wants to bother pursuing that - is it really worth explaining what seems like a pretty basic concept?

Probably not in this case.]

It's not like this is something I asked you to do. If Lambert did, that's between you and him for now. If you find my warnings unhelpful, then go ahead and pretend I said nothing.

[If it will make him stop acting like he really wants a biscuit, anyway.]

[criticallyfucked]

[It's a little scary how easy it is to fake being himself. But if that's all it takes--

At least she hasn't said anything to indicate she's changed her mind. Which doesn't mean she hasn't.

Just that--]

No.

I'm.... glad that you told me.

[The hesitation comes from sincerity, not the opposite. It's an excruciating process for him, putting things into the words she wants. He already hates the way it sounds.

But this is what she wants. And that's all that really matters, isn't it?]

I'll have to talk with him.

[What's the worst that could happen?

He's not really feeling any less lost than before. If anything, he manages to feel significantly moreso. He'd actually say he feels much worse now than he did when he picked up the radio, but he's having a hard time feeling anything again. So now is the perfect time.]