deercountry | june catch-all

Entry tags:

june catch-all

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts in comments
What: june catch-all, some tdm prompts
When: june
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers

misc lab stuff and various fruits.

[viktor's lab in the willful machine is usually left unlocked when he's working inside. friends or acquaintances have likely been told they're welcome to stop by if they like, either to say hello or to get help with whatever a vaguely sketchy lab could handle. of course someone he doesn't know can just walk in too or knock. maybe there's a sudden downpour and that ajar door is tempting? go for it.

the lab has been slowly filling with all sorts of nonsense on the various tables- lasers! tasers! some weird machine hooked up to a blood gem? it is not unlikely to be walking by and hear some minor booming noise and either a curse in czech or a satisfied 'a-ha!' feel free to investigate.

this month there's something else too, a bowl full of fruit. all the fruits mentioned in the tdm in fact, there to be tested on though it looks more like they're just for guests if people are unaware there's some weird shit going on.]

Just a moment, make yourself at home. [he might say to guest. that would include eating some fruit, right? enjoy. probably not the raw lemon though, that's weird.]

[ooc; if you want to memshare i am game, my only hard limit on memories is no suicide stuff please. self sacrifice is fine! feel free to ask to make sure one is okay. if you'd like a viktor memory let me know any hard limits and what sort of memory you might prefer!]

gaze and time loops.

[having lungs mostly working for the moment is pretty great, in viktor's humble opinion. it means walking around the trench doesn't come with the risk of coughing up blood and attracting beasts and generally having a bad time, along with added perks like not getting so easily winded and going for longer. it also means he finds himself out longer than he usually would, which maybe isn't the best, as it turns out.

for example, making his way home through gaze and hearing the chilling cry of a beast, sighing and trying to make his way around what turns out to be the wrong corner. maybe that's where he sees your character before the snarling of a too close beast starts in earnest.

and then snap! they're both back about an hour, where they passed on the street. the look viktor gives is somewhere between resigned and 'fuck this, actually.'] There is a term for this. 'One of those days,' I think.

[ooc; if you'd like to wildcard or do something else you can pm me here or find me at

dichotomy]

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Here here. [viktor sighs, one hand raised like a mock toast.] Enlightening to walk in others memories but eh, invasive. It was rarely kind memories.

[he's tried to avoid his omni and the various posts in truth, most of his experiences were with apples which were, in fact, a bit more invasive given it wasn't simply something watched but experienced.

the dead end gets something written in chalk on the wall to mark it. at least down the next hall there seems to be a room that is probably not trapped. (spoilers, it is trapped with poison gas.)]

What do you think of the pthumerians, Luna?

I've only ever had kind memories once, it was a place we could go to to travel to our memories. I got to show my boyfriend my world, and meet my dad, too. That place is gone now. [ The Great Sleep died with Julia Sodder. Of course it had its trials and tribulations in traversing it, but it allowed Sleepers to experience memories, good and bad. It was comforting to show Peter the good side of her world.

The question gives her pause, she looks thoughtful for a long moment. It's... a tricky question, not one she can answer easily. ]

They're quite complicated. And I suppose my feelings on some of them are complicated too. It was the Pthumerian Queen's vision to unite her kind and Humanity which... led to all of this. [ The good, but the bad, too. It doomed Cynthia and Julia to be trapped in cruel fates, and certainly Julia isn't the only half-Pthumerian, half-Human child. ] But I suspect they're likely to be forever elusive to us in terms of understanding them.

[ Much like Humanity is a mystery to Pthumerians themselves, she sometimes doesn't understand Pthumerians due to the fact they don't have Humanity. They're not humans, after all. ]

... I trust some of them, though — Moon Presence especially. She's.... well, she's mum. To all of us.

[ As they reach the doorway of it, it appears to be very unsuspecting. Curious. This doesn't look like a trap at all, not in the slightest. (Guess they're about to find out how very wrong that assumption is.) ]

[he wonders if she means the dream, a place he only hears about in bits and pieces. the most alarming being the death of julia, but that's another matter entirely.] ... That is a shame. There are places I would have liked to take others, or see myself.

[ah well. good at least luna (and peter) got that chance while it lasted.

for being in a probably dangerous tunnel his walk is very leisurely as he considers this, nodding along.] Have you met her? The Moon Presence. Sometimes I wonder if it's our paleblood but I do admit, I have always felt a particular curiosity about her.

Especially given some of what we have found in Sanctuary. The tapestry- [yup, normal room, normal walking in, but the moment they're both in the door locks shut and a hissing sound fills the room. great plume of greenish-greyish smoke start to rise.

uh oh, this is a problem, there is no way to handle this, etc. admittedly though viktor looks to her in alarm, trying to calculate what could be done. trust the witch, viktor.]

Maybe there might be another like it. Anything's possible. [ Perhaps nothing on such a grand scale as The Great Sleep, but one can never know — something might happen to allow them to access happier memories.

Luna actually grins a little at the question. Has she met her? Certainly, across the dream and in the Waking World — some encounters difficult, others happier times. But they do have history, yes. ]

Oh, yes. Many times, actually. Both as Moon Presence and Cynthia. [ There's an easy shrug. ] It might be just that—

[ Oh, no. Luna freezes on the spot, staring at the smoke that curls and climbs up from their feet. She looks to Viktor and then the door, wand raised — would a blasting spell be safe? Or would it risk the entire thing caving in while they're down here? She's thinking quickly, trying to work out what the best option.

But her height puts her at a disadvantage, the smoke takes little time to reach her — an inhale fills her with a burning sensation and she immediately chokes on it, hacking violently. She barely notices the blood at her lips; ]

Poison. [ She chokes it out before quickly changing tactics. This time, she points her wand directly at Viktor. ] Don't. Move.

[ She utters the incantation, moving her wand with as much precision as she can. A clear shape forms about his face; an enormous bubble wrapping over his nose and mouth, providing him with oxygen. Thank Merlin for Bubble-Head Charms.

She staggers slightly, doing the same for herself before slumping against the wall, pulling down wheezing gasps of air like a man starved. It's fine, she'll be fine. ]

[he will follow up on that in a moment, so many questions honestly, but as it turns out poison does take precedence. as does luna.

he close his mouth and stops breathing quickly, knowing that holding his breath won't do, especially with his lungs already near death and deteriorating long before this. all he can really do is hold that breath and do as luna says, eyes starting to water with the air's sting and then-

oh. well, he can't see it himself but when he can no longer hold it in his next breath is clean, and luna covering her own mouth with the bubble fills him in. it's fascinating but his first instinct is to hurry over, ignoring his bad knee to kneel at her side.]

Luna, how bad is it? [are you ok seems... hm, a little silly. he's more concerned with if she needs immediate help, if the poison is still spreading in her system.]

[ She's dazed for a long moment, simply just trying to breathe — eyes warily watching as the smog continues to grow around them. But the charm does it's job, supplying her with clean air, letting her breathe through it — whatever it is she's inhaled can't do much damage further. ]

I'm alright— [ There's still a wheeze as she speaks, but it seems to be slowly easing. She can taste blood on her lips, the strange gentle scent of warm milk in the air. ] I just— I need a minute.

[ Her eyes shut tight, and after a few beats she manages to draw something longer, a little smoother. There's a weak little smile as she lets out another small wheeze. ]

I did say... it would be a test, didn't I?

You did indeed say that. I suppose this is better than some of the traps in the catacombs. [at least this seems to be a simple mechanism. hopefully.

he pulls a rag out from his bag, offering it though he isn't sure if she can disturb this bubble to clean the blood.] Thank you, you certainly saved my life.

And with a fascinating magic too. What is this called?

I don't know... I kind of liked the tile puzzle. [ Luna would take the tile puzzle with a room filling with blood over poison gas any day, really. She casts a look to the door, even if they've managed to avoid the gas with her magic they still need to work out how they're going to get out of this room.

But at least as the moments pass, her breathing seems to be getting better. Even if she's still a little wheezy. She'll be alright. As for wiping the blood from her lips, she's not sure if she should tempt fate when the room's full of poison gas — but she does take the rag with a tiny, grateful smile. ]

... Oh, that's alright. [ What else would she do? Let them die horribly? That wouldn't be very nice. ]

Bubble-Head Charm. I once saw it used in a competition to allow people to breathe underwater. I suppose it would work well enough... at least until we can get out of here.

Well, that one was fairly enjoyable. [fine, catacombs get one point. only one.

he glances to where the poison is pouring out from the walls, once luna seems to be doing better at least. he stands to get a better look at it, the inlaid contraption of it, fingers moving to try and follow the design.]

Quick thinking then. These spells of yours continue to fascinate, your world is so very adept at magic. I wish the mages of my own world could have been a little more creative and a little less cryptic.

[after a moment be pulls out a little knife he keeps hidden in the handle of his cane, nicking the pad of his thumb to press against the wall. he tilts his head before saying,] Luna, do you know any spells that emit a small electric charge? I think if you do so at the door frame it should short this trap out and force the door open.

[ Silver linings! Because yes, the catacombs were absolutely terrible. ]

Oh, well. It's just like that, I suppose. [ Using magic is very much... practical. Every day. ] There's some a bit more cryptic like that back home too, I suppose. They work for the government.

[ Well, perhaps it's similar. Unspeakables do study the deeper mysteries of magic. It's all very vague and no one really knows what they're doing. But it's a digression.

Luna really has to take a moment to think about that one. Electricity and magic don't really go hand in hand, back home. There's a reason why Wizardkind doesn't really interact with Muggle technology all that much. She frowns for a long moment, racking her brain. ]

Well, there's... maybe something. There's this... spell that causes sparks? I remember it from a Charms lesson. It's... a kind of offensive charm—? Would that work?

[that makes viktor chuckle, which is a bit of an odd feeling with a bubble around his mouth but still.] There is nothing more cryptic than bureaucracy, that is certainly true. I suppose I should be grateful our mages stuck with mysterious tomes and odd shorthand.

[he pulls his hand back, that faint milk scent of paleblood as he considers.]

It might work, certainly worth a try. Anything that can disrupt the mechanisms should do well enough.

[and he turns to regard her again, still a touch worried.] Do mages- eh, witches and wizards is it? Do you often meld magic and technology in your world?

... If there's any shared history like in my world, then I wouldn't blame them for the mystery. [ There's a good reason why witches and wizards are secretive. In general, not just in bureaucracy.

Luna nods slowly, taking a few more breaths of clean air before she mentally prepares herself to stand once more. She's... better, feels better. But she's certainly going to take it easy as she slowly moves to push herself back on her feet. Standing once more, one hand braces her on the wall for a long moment to steady herself before she steps back. She looks a little winded, unwell — but no worse. She's standing.

There's a nod at his first question. Witches and Wizards, yes. But his second brings a pause before she shakes her head. ]

Not with electricity so much. Magic interferes with Muggle technology, we don't use a lot of things they do because of that. [ No televisions, no phones, no computers. Luna had to learn much from scratch. ]

We have our own technology, I suppose. Inventions. Things Muggles don't have. Or we can adapt things. [ Like radios, cameras. ] But it all runs on magic.

[ So magical 'electricity' will hopefully have to do. She raises her wand to the door, a fierce jet of white sparks shooting from the tip as she utters: ]

Baubillious.

Fascinating. I wonder why. [he'd love to study that, it's the first time he's heard of a world where magic has such a conflict with technology. well, plenty have a philosophical conflict he's seen but this is another matter.

he watches her go over, nods.] A much different power source, ultimately. Oh-

[thankfully the spell seems to work, the door groaning open in a screech of old metal. he lets out a relieved breath, glancing around as the trap seems to finally, slowly stop.] I guess we can safely look around this room at least now. Thank you again.

Who knows. I don't think anyone's bothered to work it out.

[ There's a gentle shrug of her shoulders. It's not really one of those things she really knows the answer to. It's just... one of those things. Or maybe no one worked out how to get the two to work in harmony, given the general fact of Wizardkind and Muggles keeping their distances over the centuries.

Luna breathes a sigh of relief herself, glad the spell worked. And they're fortunate the trap seems to stopping, thank Merlin. ]

Oh, that's alright. We should keep these on, [ She motions to her face, to the bubble. Better to keep breathing safe air. ] just in case.

[ She lifts her wand, lighting the room up a little more. ]

The trap must have been set up to keep people out, or to stop them getting out, rather. There must be something of worth in here. They put all sorts of curses in the vaults of the bank, back home. Keeps out intruders and thieves.

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june catch-all

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cw: blood; suffocation symptoms

cw: blood, terminal illness mention

cw: blood, breathing difficulties

cw: blood

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