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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I gave him some gold once upon a time and he became obsessed with seeing me again. It lead to a messy end.

[ Casually. Someone messed with something beyond their control and got burned, as far as she's concerned. She's still enraptured by the light show. There's a flick of her hand and some of the floating motes of light burst into gold, taking the shape of butterflies that begin to flit and flutter through the constellation-like arrangement, as if moving from flower to flower. ]

You'll have to forgive me. I was in a poor mood having just arrived and still finding my footing.

[ Not quite an apology, but it's something? ]

This is really all done with bits of wire? Truly? What a way of invoking magic! Ah, this is so clever. Very well done, Viktor. And that's the way magic should be. It should always amaze and astonish and be wonderful, no matter what it is or how you do it. If it wasn't all of that, it wouldn't be magic.

Ah, so he's the one wishing for fortune. Not surprising, rich people tend to think they can get whatever they want if they push.

[not a fan of the rich, shock of shocks. he watches her magic meld with the hexgem's, a blink then a quirk of the lips as the butterflies form.

as one flies close he raises a hand, not touching it but skimming near, fascinated.] Eh, no worries. In truth I find the whole thing rather funny now, and I certainly didn't respond gracefully.

[it was a rocky start to that month.]

In a way, yes. The wiring often acts as runework or whatever language the magic utilizes to be performed. So rather than words and gestures and intent the basic idea is translated in metal and projected as a spell. [it's clear he loves discussing this sort of thing. half of why he called beato was she seemed the type to enjoy a good discussion on the nature and utilization of magic.] This spell of yours is lovely too.

In truth? I think this place could use a little more magic like this. To astonish rather than harm or defend.

It's true, it's truuue! The Rich really do like to think they're gods, don't they?

[ She seems amused by the thought as she watches the butterflies flutter around her, head tilted while she listens to Viktor. ]

Ah, yes, that does make sense. It's still very strange to me because in my world, technology felt very much like the antithesis of magic. Frustrated it.

[ At his last words, she smiles and it is warm and bright and genuine in a way that might be new to her face. Or at least... rare. ]

Yes. That is the real purpose of magic. To astonish. To bring joy. While it has other uses, that is the one it was made for.

Oh very much so. The stories I could tell you of the upperclass in my world. [very dry, extremely dry. he is Not A Fan of rich people, shockingly, so poking fun? a good time in his book.]

That does not surprise me. Science versus faith, technology versus magic. One wants to dissect and explain while the other thrives on belief and mystery. Still, I think they have a place together, in truth. [his lips quirk.] People just prefer a good argument more often than they'll admit.

[the smile is a little surprising, at least in the sudden thought of oh, this is what a real smile from this woman looks like. not the theatrical mask, and it is a nice one.]

Is that why you grant wishes? It must be a wonder to the recipient, those first moments.

It is why I became a Witch. Magic was used to help me, to show me something beautiful. I wanted to do that as well. Yes, there's something wondrous about the way someone reacts when you show them magic for the first time. It's amazing. Joyful in the extreme.

[ Then she used it to murder a lot of people. Multiple times. ]

Magic is wonderful. I love it dearly and I love using it when it can bring joy and wonder to another person. Of course, it also can bring terror, horror, pain, suffering... But magic is a tool, it answers to the one who wields it.

You became one? [curious, he's so used to magic being tied to birth.] How does one become a witch in your world?

[an innocent curiosity. oh buddy.

either way he nods, offers,] I've tried to make that argument. Magic is a tool, it depends on the wielder, it is not evil or good without hands and will to make its intent that.

Of course my world is scared of the arcane, so it rarely goes far.

Wish for a miracle. Become certain in your plans. Devote yourself utterly to your cause and if you remain true in your course it may be that you move beyond mere humanity. The tale is far too long and dull to tell here. Suffice to say I had an excellent teacher, who bore the title of Endless Witch before me.

[ Also like, probably not a great plan to talk about how you really wanted to murder a whole family. ]

The Endless Magic is a powerful one. It allows you to mend the things which are broken and even bring the dead back to life. I haven't tried it here, though--the rules of this fragment may be different.

[ Kihihihi. As Viktor mentions people being scared of the arcane, she laughs. ]

Why do they fear it? Magic is a wonderful thing meant to bring wonder and joy.

That... is interesting. [and he does sound interested, a little distracted even in dissecting that idea. it resonates in an odd way he isn't ready to put a name to, lets it flicker out as he nods.

and, to be fair, the family is A Lot.] Well, if you ever wish to test the limits of your magic I'd be happy to help. I have a vested interest in understanding how the magic system here assimilates the magic of other worlds.

Though most would say it is playing with unnatural ground to raise the dead. [his tone? one who thinks believing that is stupid. fuck natural boundaries.]

War, mostly. Magic was used as a catastrophic weapon in it, to the near destruction of whole races, and certainly of whole towns. [a shrug.] It is easier to loathe the tool used than the conflicts and hands using them.

I have never tested such things. My magic never had a limit before, though. This world and it's rules are very different, so... testing may be worthwhile.

[ She taps her chin, frowning. ]

It might be considered unnatural by those who have no imagination. I am not a mere conjurer, who brought back some sort of rotting corpse. I brought them back whole and mended, as if they had never died! Fufufu.

[ A click of her tongue. ]

I've never been involved in a war, though there have been some things in my life that felt close.

It's possible it might not have a limit here, though I imagine it would take time to learn how to break certain barriers. [ah, this is the kind of talk that would get him in trouble in his world, heimendinger looking on in disappointment with another lecture on natural boundaries and the dangerous nature of magic.

distinctly freeing to not feel the weight of that particular social shackle on his back. whether it's for better or worse is another matter.] Sanctuary may be a better backdrop for it. A very magically charged place, in truth.

Would you say then that warped reality so they were alive rather than healing? [a curious distinction. he considers asking what felt like a war but that does seem kind of prying.] I suppose here we're at war with corruption, to some extent. Not quite the same as soldiers and war games.

Ah, perhaps we can do some testing there, then? We shall see, I suppose. I would love to discuss and practice magic with you, Viktor. It will be most diverting, I'm sure. And I would love to show you how it works--there's nothing better than sharing magic with someone else who feels as you do about the wonder of it.

[ Beatrice is genuine, happy, and open as she speaks of magic--this is the best conversation she's had since she got here, she's half-certain. Why not simply share magic with those who truly treasure it? It's the simplest joy there is, and yet all the sweeter for that. ]

Yes, I would consider it a bit of reality warping. I only took what existed and put it back the way it had been before.

A plan then. There's some interesting magic artifacts I could show you there. [he finds himself oddly excited too by it, in a more sincere way than the intrigue of new work. hm, maybe jayce and all his talk about magic's beauty rubbed off on him, or maybe beatrice reminds him just enough of it he can't help answering in kind.

one of the floating pens shifts out of the little gravity field and falls to the floor, bumping into a little cluster of the stars dotting the place.] I wonder if that is within the power of darkblood, it is... intense. The kind of magic people decide is too powerful for its own good.

Of course only when they aren't happily wielding it themselves, then it is a miracle.

All magic is a miracle. No one ever said a miracle had to be nice or kind.

[ Beatrice agrees with a smirk. ]

I look forward very much to seeing what it is you have to show me! I'm certain it will be brilliant.

Eh, some people would still try to argue. The same who think 'great things' are only in the realm of the positive.

[but that's a lot to untangle, and finally he goes to flip the switch and let the magic slowly fade to gentle, dimming lights, then nothing.]

I'll be sure to call on you- it's almost the start of the new month, I suppose we'll see how absurd things get. Usually new sleepers come in and new troubles brew while old peter out. [a pause] Though if you aren't in a hurry now we could go get some tea. I suppose I am a bad host not offering any.

Great things have great effects, whether for good or ill.

[ Beatrice agrees emphatically. She watches the magic fade and the golden butterflies slowly dissipate and fade away. ]

I have no other business to attend to, and I can never say no to a good cup of black tea with cream and sugar. Especially if there are tea cakes!

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june catch-all

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