driftfleet | [Mingle] Suck it, Atroma

Who: Anyone involved in the new network plot.
Broadcast: If you want, but try to keep this off the Atroma network as much as possible.
Action: Whenever you want. Planet? Ships? Iskaulit? Space is the limit.
When: During their stay on the Baruut System (9/25 to 10/27)

[The Baruut System has given them a chance they never thought possible: modifications of their own for their ships. Guns and shields, everyone thinks of those, but there also are donut machines and slot car tracks. It feels like everything is possible!

So... is it?

The need for a safer way to share information and talk to the other crews (including the Interceptors) has been in Shiro's mind for a while now. Atroma took care of the communication options in his armor when he arrived, and the tablet he bought on a planet can't be used for this either. Only the apps work.

Could this finally be their chance? Time for gather people and find out.

TIME FOR TEAMWORK!

So where do you come in, fellow fleeter~?

1. The talk! Maybe you're being informed of the idea, or maybe you're informing someone else. Or you wanna discuss the options? The possible dangers? What we need to do this? (The Power of Teamwork, that's what!)

2. Asking for donations! Looking for parts in the planet! Arguing prices with the locals! Not everyone is a nerdy builder, but you can help in other ways.

3. Building! Bring your parts, pass the screwdriver to an engineer, help keep track of the screws. Is that a five or an S on the blueprints? Someone please feed these nerds, they've been in their labs for a while.

4. Installing and testing! Time to go for it! Bring your tablet, your phone, your personal computer, your Tetris machine- ok no. Send a message, check this works. Hope your selfie game is on point! Are you hacker and/or communications officer? Then help test the security! Send a cat meme to someone using someone's else number. A classic.

5. Wildcard! Those were just summaries of what goes through the month. Bring your own adventure!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She needs eggs to cast it. You know what, that doesn't even make him blink. At home hey had to retrieve crystals from a monsters belly after all, by now he's sure grass is a rare material in the universe.]

The first two are too limited. [And he doesn't like the idea of someone in his head.] An interdimensional house sounds incredibly useful. What materials do you need? Only the ivory? I can help with the search.

[She shrugs her shoulders. Limited, yeah, but until she gets the materials they're all she can offer. But since she'd definitely prefer the magical mansion too-]

The other requirements are a silver spoon and some marble. I got the spoon easily enough, and I've scouted out a place to grab some marble in a construction zone. Broken countertops, stuff like that. Ivory's tricky. Not really the kind of thing that people throw away that much.

[Shiro crosses his arms and thinks about it for a second. What is ivory used for again? Mmmh.]

Do you need a big amount of it? I suppose we could search for broken decorations, or some kind of music store. Ivory is used a lot for instruments, if I remember correctly.

Not a lot, no. just like...

[She holds up her hands to demonstrate the size: about a large cell phone, maybe.]

It doesn't have to all be in one piece, either- if we can get a bunch of little bits that would add up to the same amount, they can be transmuted together.

[Wait, hang on.]

Have you seen a music store around? Because I'm real interested in that.

Grabbing little pieces to add up does sound easier. We may've found something doable after all.

[He takes a moment to remember the shops he's seen around before answering her question. Music store? Mmh.]

I remember seeing a string-less guitar and a flute taller than me. I'm not sure if it was a true music store, but I would bet there is one somewhere. This planet seems to have a shop for everything just to classify all the things they salvage. But if you can't find what you need, you could always pay for something customized.

Shiiiiit. Gonna file that one away for the future.

[It's not what's important here and now, considering what they're working on, but it's important to her, dammit.]

That's if I have any money left after all of this. Between the funding and the materials required for all these spells, your project is robbing me blind, and I only just got here.

[He gives Lup a sheepish smile. He feels called out but he doesn't blame her for it. She's absolutely right.]

I really appreciate your help - sorry my project is emptying your wallet. But choose an instrument, any instrument, and you can have it. It's on me, as thanks. It's the least I can do.

[And he has more money than he knows what to do with. Every time he and Keith say each other's names, his account gets another zero.]

Ooooh, buddy, you don't know what you're offering. I have pretty expensive tastes.

[And she will absolutely take him up on that to the full extent that she can manage, have no doubt.]

[A chuckle and a shrug.] That's fine. Money isn't a concern, almost any use for it would be better than it collecting dust in my account. I've been here over a year and a half by now, I'm not a big spender, I usually pick jobs in the systems and-- I don't mean it as a brag, but I'm popular. So choose your instrument, Lup. You've earned it.

Must be nice.

[She huffs out of the corner of her mouth, blowing a bit of her out of her face. Money isn't a concern? What an unfamiliar luxury that is.]

Well, I'm on the market for a violin, so if you spot anywhere I might get that, then you know who to call.

You'll get there soon too, Lup. You just got here, it takes a bit of time. Patience yields focus.

[Don't let him take out the motivational speeches, he'll be here all day.]

A violin, understood. I take it it's not something you can just magic up from some wood?

Eh, no biggie. Whether I do or not, I'm used to living thrifty.

[It's just how she grew up. This place will probably be worlds better than what she's used to, money-wise. It's fine.]

You can't magic up a musical instrument, my dude, it'll sound like hot garbage. Creating one that can resonate with someone, hum just the right way in the air, vibrate against your hands as you play- that's the work of a real craftsman.

Anyway, even if I could technically just magic one into existence, it isn't as simple as that sounds. To make something with magic, you first have to know how it's made for real, so what's in here- [She taps her head,] -Can come out here. [And she wiggles her fingers.] That's why wizards need so many books. We can only carry so much information in our noggins.

[Used to living thrifty... he wonders if that's what applies to her twin stealing, too. But he doesn't ask. He remembers the reaction from the texting chat. He listens to the explanation with attention, nodding here and there to show understanding. While he's seen so many things in the universe that border on magic, he's far from an expert on the subject.]

That makes perfect sense. You're not making something appear out of nowhere, but building it from its core. It has more in common with what engineers do than I would've imagined.

[Sure, Allura's alchemy is very magical too... but Lup and Taako seem to be more traditional wizards that remind Shiro of fantasy stories.]

Yeah, see? You get it. Our last crew got a lot of flack for an "unbalanced party" or whatever, because it was like five wizards on one team, but we were flying a spaceship. We literally doubled as engineers for the damn thing.

[...unbalanced party. That reminds Shiro of the MnM session he had with the team, and he wonders how much of that applies to actual fantasy worlds.]

What kind of support do wizards usually need? It almost sounds like your magic can do everything, but obviously a "balanced party" requires variety.

Magic can do a lot, no lie, but wizards are squishy. We can't wear proper armor, it gets in the way of our casting and it tends to be too heavy to move in. Ideally the best support team is a cleric to help heal any injuries, keep us alive, and a decent meatshield to take the big hits, someone with more muscles and raw melee abilities. A fighter or a paladin, maybe a warlock if they've got decent armor on.

[Mingle] Suck it, Atroma

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