driftfleet | Fleetsgiving Mingle [ Open to All ]

Entry tags:

Fleetsgiving Mingle [ Open to All ]

Who: Everyone Who Wants to Come!
Broadcast: Nope
Action: Yes, Planetside
When: Sunday

An invitation was sent out via the network to all of the Fleet, inviting them to come together for a night of feasting, dancing, and games.

Kirk has managed to procure an event space for what he has dubbed Fleetsgiving. It sports a warm, interior space, decorated with tables, including two longer ones for food and drink. Along the far wall is a fireplace, crackling away for warmth, chairs set around and a table for fireplace games. The entire room glows with lights set in draped garlands, candles, and dim lights, warm and inviting and offering intimacy for those who wish to find it. Kirk would take credit for the decor, but no, it was the product of the owners of the event space. Probably just as well, to be honest.

An open space at the center is open for dancing at one's leisure, music drifting through the air - loud enough for dancers to sway to a beat, but not loud enough to make conversation impossible. But, who knows, maybe towards the latter half of the evening when everyone has drunk enough, there will be a dance contest. There might also be a karaoke contest, but, really, that's up to the people.

There is some prepared food - something that looks like a kind of poultry and something like meatballs in a bright orange sauce. Kirk can't vouch for what sort of animals they came from, but he can vouch for them being delicious. Bread, jam spreads, butter, local nuts and crackers. For desert there are what look like tiny tarts, and cookies dusted in a sweet pink powder. But while there is food provided, there is plenty of room for others to bring their favorites from home, or even their favorites from being here in the Fleet.

Nothing was spared for drinks either. Local wines are set out in their bottles, ready to pour, fizzy drinks in cans and punch bowls, harder options for those who wished them further down, and water and juice for those less inclined to imbibe. While there isn't much room for additions, they are welcome.

By the fire are a number of games laid out for choice - cards, some board games, and even a chess set, though it is a touch odd. Three boards, at varying heights, on a curved stand. The way the seats are arranged make it comfortable for many to play at once, or for only a few to play and many to gather by the fire and watch or idly chatter.

Come one, come all, and have a good time!

_{[ ooc: this is an open mingle post! Go ahead and make your own starters, tag around, and have a good time! Characters would be encouraged to bring their own food to add, or drinks if they so like, favorite games, etc. ]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I could do without the weird buzzing, but otherwise, sure. [The magic though? That's nice. The glowing water? Ehhhhh, he's ambivalent on that. It looks cool, but he's not sure about drinking it even now. Reminds him too much of the voidfish's ichor and its weirdo properties.]

And don't mention it - the guy was a prick and I wanted to steal shit anyways. You just made it nice and convenient.

[That and Taako hated seeing people getting bullied when he wasn't the one doing the bullying. He could be mean, but he wasn't cruel. It was all about teasing, not about hurting, and that jackass of a merchant had just been out to cut his pound of flesh and run. It was satisfying to come back in an hour and watch from afar as the guy realized he'd been Charmed and have a minor freakout.]

'Sides, I got to watch a fun as fuck show later, so call it even.

[He covers his mouth to stifle a laugh. Taako's attitude would be deplorable if not for the simple fact that he does it from a good place. Even Belthazar can see that.]

Sure.

[He takes a sip of sparkling juice. It's not bad.]

Speaking of buzzing, have you ever been to a planet like this before? If memory serves, I think this is the third one we've visited. I've been in and out of the Fleet for a couple of years, though.

This is only the third planet I've ever been on in my life, my man. I'm brand new to this world-hopping traveling thing. Faerun, the garbage shithole, and now this.

[Although even Faerun hadn't buzzed the way this place does. It's like he planet itself is alive with magic, humming with life. Merle would have loved it in his weird little way.]

But uh, back that up. Did you just say "in and out" of the Fleet? Have you left?

I'm something of a veteran, for better or for worse. I've been trying for years to write a portal spell that can take us out of here, but I have yet to make any breakthroughs. The most I can manage is teleporting to the ship next door.

[He sighs heavily.]

That's correct, but it was entirely by someone else's whim. Time doesn't... pass when you're gone. I can say that with absolute certainty-- you'll be dropped right back where and when you came from with no warning whatsoever, and no choice of your own.

And then, as the memories of this place fade? There's a possibility you'll get plucked and placed right back here again.

That's to say nothing of randomly falling into unconsciousness and waking up a year older, which has happened to me before.

Well shit, my man, give me a look at it. [Taako spins a finger by his head, stirring up a bit of magic into a luminescent ring.] Might as well get as many magic eyes as possible looking at it, right? Lup might have some shit in her spellbook too. I know she has Dimensional Door at the very least.

[Not quite the same, but...well?]

I know one other guy here. Ripping holes in the space of reality was kiiinda his thing back home. Can't do it here 'cause he's missing the thing he did it with, but he might know some stuff about how it all works.

[Kravitz's magic was divine in a way though. Not having access to his Queen put a major hamper on it, but that didn't take away his knowledge of it.]

As for the rest...kinda reassuring, kinda freaky as fuuuck? But at least you get to go back without missing anything. But how the hell did you go into a coma and wake up a year older? Do they have time magic?

Hmmm... That's not a bad idea actually. I have this theory that in order to write a successful spell, we'll need to lean on the most stable aspects of each world's magic. To reinforce it, you know.

Any help is appreciated.

[He can't tell if that's mage sight or the beginning of Taako's own portal spell.]

You'll have to excuse my rustiness. Do you want to move to a corner or outside or something so we don't accidentally catapult a guest into the frozen depths of space?

[Belthazar takes a sip of fizzy drink.]

They have to. No one should be able to remove us from our own timelines on such a grand scale. I mean, there are literal dragon gods protecting the timeways of Azeroth and they very much hate when mages touch time magic, so I can't imagine them tolerating this.

The wild thing is that I had only been asleep for a few weeks at most. It just happened overnight. Poof. Grew an inch, new robes, a new tattoo, and everything I remembered happening at home actually happened.

Sure thing - getting out of here serves us all.

[And if Taako can steal a few secrets from Belth's research, it might help his own. If the theory holds true, he'll need a little borrowed magic in order to push through the boundaries of this planer reality and his own.

The illusion ends and Taako shakes his head.]

But this is party, right? Probably best to save actual magic for, yanno, when there aren't a million eyes around watching you do it. I'll come find you later once this whole thing is over and we can compare notes, do the whole nerd thing you seem so good at.

And your gods might not have the reach into this planer system, no matter how pissed they are. I'm technically an emissary of the Goddess of Fate or whatever, so if she had the ability to reach in here and pluck me out or guide me out, I'm bettin' she woulda already. [Yup, just dropping there in here like it ain't no thang since to Taako? It really isn't. He doesn't take his 'job' very seriously.] But from what you're telling me? It sounds like you had a little time bubble up around you and you just sped right through all your growth. The memory thing though...can't help you on that one. That's just straight up weird.

[Belth's eyebrows rise. He was so down to do magic he didn't realize. SO DOWN.]

O-oh, right, of course. I can show you my notes right here, though. Maybe it'll give you an idea of what we're dealing with.

[This new revelation about Taako being the emissary of the Goddess of Fate is really new. Belthazar isn't anything special, unless one counts his stupidly-high intelligence score, but everything else is a dump stat. He's never been in touch with the gods, never averted a war singlehandedly-- he's barely saved lives.]

Wow... That's, ah, quite the resume. [He's impressed but hella intimidated, which is par for the course with Belthazar and his unique brand of hero worship.] A time bubble would make sense, but it must have been invisible and self-contained. My crewmates didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, besides an extremely long nap for an elf. [He taps his chin.] It shouldn't be possible for the soul to be in two places at once. So maybe it's... not? They have the power to pluck us from our timelines and put us back, so why can't they do that while we're sleeping?

As for why, I'm still not totally sure. A lot of ridiculous things that happen here can be owed to Atroma and its particular brand of [air quotes] entertainment.

[Taako shrugs at Belth's awe because he never really thought it was that big of a deal. He met a goddess; big whoop. It'd been mostly weird and a little intimidating and then they'd gotten free shit. So all in all? Like most of their lives.

Still, he holds his hand out for Belth's notes, not about to pass up an opportunity to add something to the spell he was crafting at the moment.]

Lay it on me, magic man. and don't let that resume get you down - it's not even half of all the shit I've done.

[Solving murders, winning battle wagon races, kicking the shit out of bad guys, saving the world from being crystallized? Yup, all of that. Plus he made some bitchin' macarons.]

Most time bubbles I've run into - which is one, mind you - had this weird shimmer effect, but I'm guessing since you weren't in there long, maybe it didn't need to do that. Because I'm so not down to have my godsdamn soul plucked outta my body. No thanks. Taako's good in here and here's where he wants to stay.

I've done some weird things too, but honestly, I'm better off forgetting it all happened. People in this timeline aren't the same as in that one.

[He summons his journal and flips through it. Bookmarked near the front is the piecemeal notes of his portal spell. His memories of some other things in the Fleet have been hazy since his return, uncomfortably so, but his mind is otherwise sharp as a tack. It's these few pages that he holds out for Taako to inspect.

There are two illustrations on the spread, very detailed. The first is a diagram of a portal, which is eerily similar to that of a black hole, and there are various markers indicating where time stops and starts as well as the general convection of mana keeping the thing going. The second illustration is an intricate sigil with various astrological signs and arcane runes inscribed around it, and a note that it could be drawn with in the air but drawing it with chalk may make it more stable.

Also highlighted are the variables in the sigil itself that indicate where the portal should end up, as is most found in a fixed portal. Those are routinely used to transport infantry rather than just one mage slipping through oblivion. Though it's totally feasible, the power of will alone is dangerous, especially the further one reaches; something more permanent is needed so that if the mage's concentration drops, people don't end up on the lifeless moon.

Other notes on this page go into the following: approximate mana drain, ideas for power sources so that one mage isn't supporting this thing by himself, a big question mark around whether they need to know the position of the plane relative to this one, and some other arcane symbols he's seen across the various worlds and people he's met with another question mark and "use these?"

... He's been working on this a while.

Belth smiles halfway at Taako's declaration of TAAKO'S GOOD OUT HERE because that's prettttyyyy much how anyone would feel.]

Whatever the method, I'm here and I'm perfectly fine. [A pause, and a self deprecating laugh:] I was always vertically challenged, I can't blame Atroma for that.

I mean, I get where you're coming from, wanting to forget some stuff. My memory's not exactly the greatest right now though, and, uh, I can say? It's better to remember and feel shitty, than to know nothing and have that shit haunt your ass like Slimer's angry cousin.

[He takes the pages from Belth, trying to sound as flippant as possible as he starts inspecting the illustrations and notations. It's hard to stay nonchalant though when faced with something so fascinating. The sigils here, the runes, are like the echoes of things he's been making. Or maybe his runes are echoes of these. They're more carefully thought out, more intricate in design.

The questions about magic sources though, the ones about a more permanent solution, those are things he can deal with. He knows this planet is the greatest chance he has to suck up the mana he needs. People have said that they don't come to singing planets often, and so he might not have a chance again for another year. He can't waita year. He has to do this now.

As Taako pours over these notes, he suddenly becomes acutely aware that concentration is etched over his features and he's gone silent for longer than he should have. He didn't even catch what Belth said after he passed the notebook over and it's probably been a full minute of him just studying this book, trying to commit the sigil and diagram to memory. His eyes dart up over the edge of the book to find Belth and he rolls his shoulders, holding the notes back out to the other mage.]

Uh, yeah, looks good. You ever thought of using gemstone as a conductor for the portal? It's more permanent and you can infuse that shit with magic over time.

[Words of wisdom. Belthazar does seem to pay attention and ruminate on those a while, even if the reference is lost on him.] ... If nothing else, it pushes me to make sure no one has to go through what I did. I won't pretend my goals are noble or anything like that-- self-improvement can't be called an act of charity-- but child soldiers are something else entirely. And that's all I'll say on that, lest you walk out in anticipation of some angsty backstory.

[Yes, he's always this wordy.

The nervousness in his expression lightens as Taako gives his seal of approval.]

I'm working on something similar right now, actually. The issue is that if I'm channeling mana into something, the crystal itself has to be a good conductor. Arcane energy in its raw form-- as mages from my world harness it-- is difficult to control and prone to leaking or exploding if there's one thing wrong, even in supposedly pure gemstones. My best bet is actually taking a gemstone and then reshaping it according to my own parameters, rather than hoping I'll find a perfect one without inclusions in the wild... It's a little involved, but I'm getting very close.

Once I run a few more experiments to make sure I've got the right shape, I'll be able to make a few of them.

Edited 2018-12-13 23:22 (UTC)

Self-charity maybe, which is honestly the only kind I'm interested in.

[Taako never professed to be a good person. He could probably be called a terrible one, honestly, but he knows that no one wants to rehash their life as a child soldier so he holds a hand up, shaking his head to indicate "no thanks" on the backstory.]

Too bad we don't have the Philosopher's Stone for your spell though. That thing could make a perfect circle of any gem - transmute any material. It kiiinda caused a problem [or like...five million] but it would be really useful right now. Transmuting is my specialty though - if you want help changing something into the right gem type.

True charity is for healers and holy people.

[He's never had the talent for healing, though he tried. He knows the best way to help people like him is to climb to the top of the ladder and hierarchy, background be damned, and burn the entire institute to the ground. Then they can rebuild on equal ground.]

I've made alchemist's stones before, but something like that sounds incredibly powerful. And dangerous. [He nods at the offer, very grateful even if he's a bit shy in showing it.] Thank you. I'll keep that in mind if I get stuck. The transmuting I do is usually for food or potions, so everything helps.

Of which I aaaaaam neither.

[Not holy in the slightest and definitely not a cleric. He was never interested in either of those professions anyway. They're boring and doing service to other people holds as much profit in it as throwing gold into a pig's pen.]

Fuuuck yeah it was dangerous. It almost crystalized the world.

[And he shrugs.]

So yeah, if you want some tips on transmutation - I do it all the time for, well, whatever I fucking want.

[Yikes. Belth's eyebrows shoot up sympathetically.] I'm glad it didn't.

[He writes down a little note to contact Taako if he needs to change the type of gem.]

I'll be sure to reach out if I need that. At the very least I'd like to see you at work.

[He snorts with laughter and nods.]

Yeah no shit.

As for work - I'm at the Melting Pot whenever I'm not dicking around elsewhere. A lot of transmutation magic flying around there right now because I am not serving synthetic anything in there if I can help it.

[Belth blinks.] That sounds familiar. Was it the restaurant that Jarvis ran? I helped him out once or twice. He had a real talent for cuisine-- totally unprecedented in other humans I've met.

I'd like to see your transmutation too. As for cooking with that stuff, I don't even try unless I'm determined to substitute tofu.

Been hearing his name thrown around soooo yes....? [He honestly doesn't know since it had just been Mikleo and Carl when he arrived. ]

Substitutions is one thing, but synthetic meat? Heeeell no. I'm not sacrificing quality for that crap.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fleetsgiving Mingle [ Open to All ]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject