deercountry | april catch

Entry tags:

april catch - all

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts
What: some late march/early april logs, including some tdm stuff. i'm happy to attach something else on if anyone's interest in doing something specific
When: late march through april
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers, likely game typical beast gore/body horror, potentially ableism mentioned, claustrophobic imagery

open prompts.

fishers of dreams - the lighthouse, early april (tdm)

a. while awake

[if you've been roped into this lighthouse business too you may enter to find a man already there. he seems vaguely disgruntled by the business, offers vague greetings but otherwise sticks to scribbling in his notebook. it looks like schematics and formulae, but anyone with an eye for either might notice they tend to trail off and start in odd bursts.

viktor will offer to cook when evening falls (or whatever seems to be the right mealtime in this place) so maybe that is a better time to strike up conversation. the smell coming from the kitchen is heavy on whatever spices the place stocks, promising pain to anyone who doesn't have the stomach for that sort of thing. worse if he finds the rotgut liquor tucked away, which he will pull out and offer despite smelling more like turpentine than anything edible.

these tricks of the eye though, flashes of people vaguely recognizable, he chalks it up more hallucinations. last month was mushrooms, so this? irritating, far more distracting, but it followed the pattern.

it isn't until later in all this he'll track whoever is with him down.] Did you see someone else come through? There, just up the stairs.

b. nightmare

[trying to reach the odd lighthouses is fruitless, the shadows converge and when the dark clears the area seems more closed in than before. it shouldn't be, he was just outside on the shore, yet now the dark sky seems to hang too low, lower still, suffocating.]

What now? This is another illusion of sorts, is it not? One this place is so fond of. [viktor sounds more irritated than anything, maybe defensive since the grip his has on his crutch is white-knuckle tight. in the distance seems to be a lighthouse, though the light is far and the area is so stifling, promising a tunnel that will close and snuff out the light entirely.

it's ridiculous of course, the walls are not that close, certainly not enough for this suffocating grip on the lungs and throat. there's no real explanation, less so when a few steps forward and the ground begins to dot with great metal cables, the distinct, sickly sweet smell of chemicals in the air. there are pools between them where the ocean should have been, this time shallow spills of what could be gasoline or something similar, slick rainbow puddles, oily and difficult to walk through without slipping or sinking.]

(ooc; for this one please, feel free to add your own character's nightmare in any flavor at any point!)

odds and ends - willful machine, early april

[viktor can be found around the vendors often enough, especially those specializing in scrap metal, tools or small machinery. for the most part he doesn't stick out, except for the fact often his massive omen often accompanies him, some sort of huge pink salamander/axolotl that he'll lean against or ask rather politely to help carry larger purchases.

he doesn't seem to notice or care about any attention, though the creature will blink curiously around. feel free to approach or find him haggling rather intently for such a stick of a man, accent thickening when it gets heated enough. maybe you want the same scrap? or are looking for something and he's standing nearby enough to notice a lost look and offers assistance?]

[one might also find him about by the sound of a nasty coughing fit. he stands with his back curled, a rag to his mouth as a makeshift handkerchief. it's a wet cough that shakes his entire frame, and when it's over his sniffs and clears his throat, straightening.

the cloth is stained in a pale color that catches the perpetual moonlight of april. paleblood, that he regards for a moment before folding the cloth in on itself with a small frown.]

closed prompts.

jinx - willful machine, late march

[viktor doesn't stay by the lamp exactly. he would usually but he hardly sees the point when this person he's meeting knows him by sight as far as he can tell. it leaves him feeling comfortable to wander within eyeshot mostly of the lantern, strolling down the canal docks to find a place to stand and watch the boats cut slowly through the water.

he likes it here, he thinks, in this district. the noise and foot traffic, the winding canals and dirty water, the boats bobbing to and fro - it wouldn't be a bad place to set up. a lab that will double as his home because he doesn't see the point in separating the two any longer, even if he can practically hear heimendinger's tutting about his work-life balance in his ear. it will be closer to the vendors, less of a hike to acquire what he'll need to start fresh. first a new brace for his leg and back, then some basic experiments into lunar energy to get a feel for it.

his lungs flare and burn, minor enough he manages to swallow it down without reaching for the rag in his pocket. he makes a note of the severity and timing, adds it to his growing mental list that seems to indicate his illness does indeed remain but is diminished. promising, if he's being optimistic, but at the moment he feels only a sense of irritation that now he doesn't know the timeline of his own life. one he might be shortening drastically with this ridiculous stunt.

a sigh and viktor goes back to watching the boats, trying to clear his head. he considers trying to message vi and ask her opinion of this but... no, he doubts he'll get anything. he's not sure if he disgusts her as a class traitor or amuses her in truth. better to just see for himself what he's gotten himself into like a fool.]

allen - willful machine, early april

[the 'grand tour' doesn't amount to much yet, the lab area just a large, empty space dotted with a few tables and a couple of desks, not even a chalkboard he's been keeping an eye out for or something that could do the same. one of the desks at least is littered with junk, at the moment tools and the starts of a knee brace, a table nearby with all the scrap he's managed to grab that could be useful in the future. one corner has a cot, maybe he'll clear out whatever other small rooms the place has later for a bedroom proper. maybe not.

viktor seems satisfied with it as he gestures around, and rio has commandeered one of the tables for her own to lie across.] A solid start, I think. I like this area, this eh... Willful Machine, that is.

[he'll never admit part of it is the boats. everyone's allowed a sort of childish interest, right? they're soothing, even if they lack the motors that fascinated him.] Have a seat, if you'd like. How have you been since the tombs?

wildcard.

[as i said, feel free to ask for anything else, including other tdm prompts, i am more interested in seeing the worlds built by others for the archway prompts so i didn't include any here. my plurk is

dichotomy or you can dm me here!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've got some budding projects about that; our bodily continuity, that is. Conceptually, it's fascinating— I could write at least four papers on it.

[Does it also, as a bonus, help center the buried part of him that cries about being not-real in ghost rooms? Maybe! A little! It's a process.

anyway i'm making this up, i have no idea how the patrons work,] A lot of guesswork, but I'm usually right. We'll find out soon enough, I suppose - once the eyeball comes calling.

[And hey, he's got two eyes, that's different... He raises an eyebrow, amused.]

Why, what are you getting me for my birthday?

Oh? Tell me of them. [write him four papers about it. still, he wonders if this counts towards the 'over extending himself' thing pal mentioned. he'll have to keep an eye out just in case.

fair, from the person who barely understood the blessed day thing worked and just sort of picked a day] And he gifts you something odd. Miss Dawson got a phial full of light from Argonaut. Very whimsical and potentially useful against corruption.

[or just a cool flashlight i guess. pal gets a pointed look though.] Nothing, as you haven't given me a date to work with.

Well, I found a girl in the woods- [peak Trench sentence (tm)] -who's interested in manipulating our current forms to obey different rules. Learning other magic, and so on, besides the blood magic and our natural abilities. She's theorized that if we are all from the same squid stock, we should be made equal— magically speaking, that is. Mostly, I stepped in to help her curtail the worst of her careless blood pollution.

[He waves a hand, like, it be like that sometimes! He's helping, but he's not at the helm, so it's not the same as overextending. Obviously.]

A light. [hmm.] Last month, I suppose that would make sense. And I can't guess the date, but if my other guesswork is accurate, it should be next month.

[He twirls the pen again, adding,] Which is the sixth month; I thought that was a fun touch.

Of course you found a girl in the woods. [that's said quietly, because it needs to be said. the rest makes him not, thoughtful.] You know I had an interesting conversation with Ortus about the equality of magic here. Namely the difficulty for the powerful to unlearn what they knew and the tendency for the powerless to underestimate themselves.

Well regardless, well done. Not quite as intriguing as children's sports teams but still a worthwhile endeavor.

[shrug. yup, a magic light.] She's going to let me have a look at it, if you wanted to see it yourself. I'm curious if it will have any similiarities to the orbs we collected.

[ah, the sixth month, fair enough. viktor shakes his head, amused at the theming.] Might as well make it the sixth day too. Wouldn't want anyone to think you are slacking.

Did you? Good to know Ortus the Ninth contains multitudes, then. [or,] I spoke to him about poetry, mostly.

[Is he ignoring the part where he personally is definitely one of those 'unlearn what they knew' people, yes... maybe so... that's not him, he doesn't need to do that, gosh no. Ahem. Instead he leans to give Viktor a very scolding nudge for the sports teams comment; be nice, he's tender.]

Sure, I'll have a look. Is the sixth day of the sixth month too on the nose? Let's assume that day until proven otherwise.

[narrator voice: they would not be proven otherwise]

So: what am I getting for my special squid birthday?

He also mentioned that. Who was it... Matthias, I think the name was. He seemed quite enthusiastic about that figure as an inspiration. [you know, in an ortus way enthusiastic. speaking of,] Is he coming to the fireworks party? He should be invited.

[is ortus a teen?? viktor has no idea actually, the face paint and general demeanor didn't really give anything away.

the nudge gets quirked lips, innocent, truly, before he's rolling his eyes.]

Is the point not the surprise? That is how it is in Piltover. They take incredible pleasure in drawing that aspect out every way they can.

Plenty of poets have been inspired by him across the Nine Houses, but none so much as Ortus, I'd wager. [and all the Sixth stuff about him is textually Horny, unlike the subtextual horniness of writing one really long epic about a guy in that repressed Ninth way, ahem.] I didn't mention the party, but he's welcome to join us— if Gideon and Harrow don't bring him along, I'll take a walk up to that ugly house myself.

[Bone House still tacky, RIP to the Emperor.

Anyway,] The point is never the surprise; that's just bragging about having knowledge you don't want to share. No; I'd be lukewarm about it on principle. Could you present it in the form of a puzzle? I'd enjoy that.

[This is a negotiation, but also: pleeeeease do it like a puzzle.]

[yeah, viktor will believe that. you didn't call someone sublime if you weren't probably at least one of their biggest fans. he has to snort at ugly house though.]

If you are already there, if not I hardly mind sending him a message. [he sort of assumes pal spends time there regardless of ugly levels, given apparently most of his social circle dwelled there. with skeleton lawn maintenance. necromancers are a lot.

oh that's endearing, asking for it to be a puzzle, he doesn't even need to press on the negotiations. viktor reaches over to brush an errant hair back into place simply because he can, humming in agreement.] Then it shall be given as a puzzle. I cannot promise a good one, but one nonetheless.

[he wonders if a literal puzzle box around it might be too on the nose. Making Things is easier than coming up with anything else, really. he'll have to workshop this.]

[Palamedes wiggles a hand, like, will he be there? He's there more than he'd like to be, because half of the house is uncomfortable old people but also his friends are there? Some people need to consider moving out, but he's not going to tell them that. Woe betide Palamedes, who cannot bring himself to tell someone to get over the nice things about a comfortable home because God is an Asshole.

He wiggles his hand about this, significantly.]

We'll see. By now you'll have noticed that I'm extremely bored by formalities.

[Such as, it turns out, consolidating invitations to a field party. He's organizing this purely on word of mouth and an honor system, because all of his serious energy has to go into the children's sports team.

And ah, nope, all puzzles are good, he gets a quick little kiss for this. Agreeing to puzzles? Hello? Viktor already amassed an infinite number of good boyfriend points, but puzzles can get him a few more.]

From you I'd love even a wordsearch, but I know you'll think of something spectacular.

You? I thought you adored paperwork and fine print. [gonna shock everyone there with this being said with clear sarcasm.] Not to mention the very careful social planning a party entails.

[frankly if the party was anything more official than 'idk come to the field and we'll blow stuff up because it looks cool' viktor would hate it, so here they are, mildly chaotic or just lazy in these matters, reader's choice.

ah well, now he's definitely at least making a puzzle box. he hopes pal doesn't want a party because god, haven't they filled their quota on those? even though viktor's done fuck all for this one?] I suppose we will see. Though now I must know- puzzles? They are something you enjoy?

[He makes a face, exaggerated to emphasize just how terrible fine print and social currency are on a day to day basis. The Oversight Body is sweating in their grey ponchos from across worlds, just knowing that the Warden is out there somewhere making comical 'kill me now' faces about paperwork.

So it's going to be a great party, as long as no one expects extravagance from him, which - why would they. Viktor making the cherry bombs is probably, technically, more actual contribution than Palamedes has provided for his own party, so. There's that.

He perks up for puzzles, though. Ooh.]

Absolutely. I like a good challenge. There's something about pattern recognition from puzzle to puzzle that's more like— [a pen twirl, hmm, it's like-] -learning a process in reverse, you know? There are only so many ways a given genre of puzzle - the intentional ones - can be constructed, and so learning the rules can reverse engineer you to the nascent origin.

[of a puzzle. if anyone still doubted palamedes sextus was a big nerd.]

Compare that to, say, chess, a terminally boring game that relies on not understanding human strategic processes within a finite set of moves to remain surprising, and you'll find puzzles are far more interesting. The back-process is almost more entertaining than the resolution.

[well okay, if he hadn't had his big gay moment over a sandwich this little ramble would probably have been the kick of oh i like this man. this absolute, massive nerd of a person. incredible.

the pen twirl really sells it to. the perking up. the mockery of chess.

so needless to say viktor's expression is a little on the soft side watching him, that particular look of someone you care about doing that thing they do that reminds you why you care. that flavor.]

Hm, I should be taking notes. Something about making sure the relentless deconstruction of my work is as entertaining as the inevitable solution.

[he glances to the machine he's since stopped tinkering, offers,] I think I understand though. You could have made a great engineer, I think. So much of my earliest inclinations were to unravel how something worked, why it worked, how it was put together. Is that not similar, in ways?

[Palamedes would be just as unabashedly excited about puzzles with or without Viktor's tender fondness, but there's an extra additional pleasantness in the way he leans into it. Even in the Sixth there had been no shortage of just tolerating Palamedes' intensity about - anything really, so does Viktor earn another handful of points for being into it? Definitely, and how.]

It is! [if he were a cartoon he'd have big heart eyes at this point, imagine it.] Of course skill is great and archiving history is important, but how short-sighted is it to stop there? When there's so much untapped potential out there— for necromancy, of course, but not only that. I think there's a profound foolishness in taking a thing at face value and not asking why, you know?

[He quits twirling the pen to tap it on his notebook, for emphasis.]

There's nothing that exists in this world or any other that is beyond explanation, or indeed, above explaining itself. Memorizing the steps without questioning how they came to be must be so... dull.

[Weird, to know most people just don't care about this stuff? Thank god he nearly elbowed a cute nerd in the face and so can Talk about it.]

Which is to say, I like puzzles a normal amount.

Precisely. Take here, there are steps to blood magic, how it functions, and why should we not dissect it? How it pollutes, variations on a typical end result, interactions between types, fine, bur further? Any magic system is ultimately like a machine- a puzzle, let's say. Why does it work is just as important to understanding our place as the practical how.

[he gestures vaguely, letting pal's enthusiasm sweep him away a little himself.] It frustrates me to no end the idea that some things should be believed simply on faith, as though they lose value when examined. Anything truly worthwhile should flourish under examination, there is nothing cold and clinical about wishing to know the world around you better.

Bah. [soft look returning, not that it went very far.] I got that idea, yes. It's quite... hm, on brand I think is the term.

[Palamedes thinks two things at once: first, while Viktor is far too smart to ever be duped by, say, the fucking Emperor, he must still be protected against the Emperor's bullshit because he's also too smart to be ignored; and second, he's so very Sixth when he talks like this that Palamedes could kiss him. Which oh yes, he can, and so he does, dropping his pen momentarily to cup Viktor's jaw below his ear and kiss him swift and certain. Yes, please continue to question the mechanics of reality with him always, this is the good stuff.

Cold and clinical, as if— nothing has ever thrilled him more, at least.]

You're amazing. And you're completely right. Skillfully using a tool or acting within surface-level boundaries is— well, surface-level. Without delving, it's the same as doing any other repetitive task.

[Reasons he isn't wowed by pure displays of power level: this. Ooh, so cool, doing a big thing very bigly. Wow.]

Circling back— what about your squid day? Do you have any idea?

[that is a very nice answer, as far as viktor's concerned. he chases the kiss to steal another, pulling back and thinking probably for the umpteenth time how much better the academy would have been to have minds like pal's instead of the same pompous, static nonsense. all of jayce's vision without jayce's unfortunate naivety in many areas.]

It is why our work draws me, I admit. The practical application cannot be ignored but I think we have a chance of starting to untangle the system here the farther we go. [he says, leaned in a little to impart that. he's still shaking the feeling that delving into magic is something for hushed tones largely.

oh right, not just puzzle talk.] Oh, no, I cannot say I do. In truth I've never cared about such things. [unless it's pal's squid day and then he does. or jayce's probably, but jayce is probably the one who wheedled him into accepting the whole 'celebrate the person existing' aspect until viktor caved.]

[Even without the kisses and the hype of discovery!! Viktor would be very cute, leaning in like that to conspiratorially share his research goals. Palamedes resists the urge to kiss him again or they will never get any productive hobby time in during this work break, ahem, but the sheer level of dazzling affection with which he looks at Viktor in this moment could melt ice in a pinch.]

Delicately, at least. Until anti-corruption methods are more robust.

[That too is a fun project, though, so it works out. And hey now, sir... Palamedes tuts and picks up his pen again, gesturing at Viktor with it. Care about birthdays at once.]

I want to get you a squid day gift, so for twenty-four hours you'll have to pretend.

[honestly that look is distracting enough, and viktor tells himself they are not so ridiculous they're going to sit here smiling at each other. they are busy men with science and art to do, which means he can force himself to look away, still smiling a little, elbow bumping pal's.]

Mm, which is tied to my other main branch of research. It all comes together.

[hopefully. viktor ignores the gesture and picks up the machine again, making a show of considering whether he'll pretend or not.]

If you must. I was born sometime in the winter, so just pick a day then. [december, to be precise. he's got the rabbit bud as his pthumerian.] Hand drawn mugs are an acceptable offering.

[Good call, if Palamedes goggled at him like a besotted schoolboy any longer he'd be stuck like that, and then who would draw these squids. He'll take this elbowing as recompense as he resumes his important artwork.]

One step at a time. [And.] I really must, especially if you're going to be like that.

[Comically Fussy, that is. A beat, while he considers the mug sitting on the table already waiting to be drawn on, and then the possibility of more.]

We only have so many cabinets.

Going to be like what? [have a bland look, then a glance over at the mug.]

Fine, I will accept other things too for the sake of compromise. I spoil you. [the bit cracks a little, fresh amusement in the breath he releases after then,] Your company will always be enough, you know. Trite things like that.

Not trite, [imagine if Palamedes "has to call Viktor amazing twice a day or he explodes" Sextus thought that was trite. Silly.] And I do know.

[And it makes him very soft every time, like right now, while he smiles sidelong at Viktor before looking back at squid drawings. If he gets any softer he'll start drawing hearts on this squid and it will be critically embarrassing, please, he can't handle any more.]

If you were worried about trite, you wouldn't like me so much. What if I decided to write "World's Greatest Scientist" on the other side of your mug?

[this was a joke until he said it, Oh No]

No, not trite. [viktor does have to admit that, smiling back in a less reserved way than when this all started. as it turns out he's deeply into the trite things anyway, who would have thought.

he forces himself to look back to his work, trying to regain a sense of the gear and snorting at that.] I'm fairly sure I'm not even the greatest scientist in the Trench. [just points that out, logical conclusion, some people come for such advanced technology it'd be difficult to catch up. maybe greatest engineer, but he thinks fiddleford could give him a run for his money.

pal gets a glance.] You're going to do it anyway, aren't you?

"Our House's Greatest Scientist," then. [Hah. He's already trying to write it in big blocky letters on his notebook page, like, just to test out how his scratchy handwriting will translate to the side of a mug, permanently, so - yes, of course he's going to do it anyway.

He glances up, like, hm? Him, do this silly thing? How odd. Allow him to really squeeze the blood from this trite stone:]

"Greatest Scientist, Also Very Handsome and an Excellent Cook by My Standards"— no?

I can accept 'Bunker's Greatest Scientist.' [viktor allows like a grave concession, complete with the necessary eye roll at notebook.

of course pal one ups the bit and he has to bit back a laugh, evident in the way his lips twitch.]

You remember I am using this to drink my tequila at the party, yes? Also your cooking standards are too low for that to be a compliment.

[Oh well in that case allow him to start a new row of block letters, for BUNKER. Here goes...]

It'll give you gravitas. No one else will have a tequila mug. And— that may be true, but if your horrible plans come to fruition, I'll have to learn to make something that can raise my standards.

[The absolute torture of being taught to cook. Cannot he not just purchase his food or wait for Viktor to tsk at him at meal times. That's faster.]

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