songerein | [OPEN] Embark on Some Havoc

Who: Alastor and You!
Which: Depends on the prompt
Where: Depends on the prompt
What: An open log for October featuring Alastor at Reverein's new radio station teaching people how to use the equipment and properly present an audio-only broadcast. Also featuring him going dreamwalking and nightmare walking for anyone who wants him in your dreams without making a big open log yourself!
Warnings: It's Alastor, a demon from literal Hell. He's also a bit manic at the radio station and extra spooky with the dream/nightmare walking.

Reverein Radio

With the official opening of Reverein's new radio station, Alastor was doing his best to make sure that the radio wouldn't just be supplying static on every channel that wasn't his own frequency. Where was the fun in only one channel, after all? Besides, he and the native scientists had put an awful lot of work into making sure that the radio tower blended in with the local aesthetic rather than the ugly scaffolds of metal back where Alastor had come from.

Anyone looking for him would find him at the station, teaching anyone who made the mistake of asking about how to work the system. Alastor's passion was sound and radio, so his students might find themselves trapped for literal hours.

The interior of the station was a real puzzle to get through: twisting corridors and rooms specially-designed to keep all outside noise from getting picked up by hot mics. The idea was to keep noisy foot traffic from interfering with a broadcast, but at least there was always some native who'd decided to work permanently there to guide anyone around.

At the moment, Alastor was at one of the soundboards, watching one of his "students" going through a basic sound check while another worked the board. He himself held one of the speakers of a headset up to one of his ears as he watched and listened intently. Though at someone's approach, he'd leave the booth to practically skip over to them.

Dreamwalking/Nightmare Walking

Perhaps it was because it was October that even the pleasant dreams he wandered into had a misty, spooky bent to them. As a demon, Alastor blended in well with the overall atmosphere.

Humming to himself, he made his way through the mists as he searched for the bulk of the dream if not the dreamer themselves.

Wildcard
Throw a prompt my way!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A lot of the "equipment" was literally junk: random objects that had gotten broken at some point or rendered useless by other advancements in technology along with other items that were small instruments or other random but still-whole objects.

"Oh no! Just holding a class in basic Foley work! There are signs for rooms with hot mics!"

He motioned Sol to briefly follow before pointing at an unlit sign with the words "ON AIR" in large red text next to the door.

"If this is lit up, that means that it's mid-broadcast and you shouldn't open the door unless it's important. You don't really need something that lights up but it does make it more obvious."

He poked his head back into the room. "Feel free to play around and see what sounds you can make! Practice makes perfect, after all! Just make sure to clean up when you're done!"

The man had picked up a mechanical hand mixer, saluting Alastor with it before turning the crank to listen to what sounds it could make.

Alastor shut the door and focused on Sol. "So, how can I help you, my good fellow?"

"Oh! Nothing important, not really." They smiled, moving their hands around to the front- and revealing their prize. It was a potted plant, slender stalks ending in crimson blooms. "I just wanted to thank you for helping, at the Reactor. A lot of people could've gotten hurt, but because you were there..." They smiled softly.

"It's a red astrantia. I was growing a bunch of the white ones, but these came in recently, and they made me think of you! And I figured, like, 'who doesn't like flowers', and just sorta... transplanted it for you."

Alastor stared, genuinely shocked at the gift. For a split second, he almost declined because of his tendency to kill plants but remembered swiftly that that wasn't the issue here. And while a flower might seem like a paltry gift to some considering how he'd exhausted himself with keeping the reactor from blowing until help could arrive, to Alastor it was a precious treasure.

"Thank you," he said honestly, reaching out to take the pot. "It's quite lovely. And, yes, the red does suit me quite well!"

Strange. He hadn't even considered the personal cost when he'd suggested a larger version of the seal he'd placed on the device the thief had left behind and cast it. It'd been like holding onto a net containing a particularly enraged alligator, and only once the immediate threat had passed did he allow himself to gorge on an entire animal carcass (he'd been too tired to even taste what it was) and passed out onto the nearest offered cot. He also hadn't thought to announce his part in all this for anyone who hadn't seen him hard at work wrangling the aforementioned enraged alligator.

Humility. From him. Well, there was a first time for everything, he supposed.

"They're my mom's favorite, and... they remind me of home, a lot. So I have lots of them, plus a bunch of other stuff, if you'd like more." Sol smiled warmly. "Supposedly in flower language they're supposed to stand for bravery and protection, but also I just like them? I hope you do too. I kind of got a vibe? But I couldn't say how."

Bravery and protection, eh? Well, talk about ironic given the less popular translation of Alastor's name...

"I do, actually," Alastor said. "I know you wouldn't think so for looking at me -- " He waved a clawed hand for emphasis after carefully tucking the pot into the crook of his other arm. " -- but I have an interest in plants. A lot of the spellwork I've used since I was alive required rituals cast using plants for starters."

They laughed. "I kinda didn't have much choice getting interested in plants! My dad's a botanist and my mom's a career farmer, so it's like. Practically my destiny at this point? But seriously, magic rituals that use plants? Is that, like... the kind of magic a person could hypothetically learn, or do you have super plant magic passed down through your bloodline for generations but long forgotten, only to be awakened in your hour of darkest need?"

"Ha! No. Basic rootwork can be learned by anyone. Any rituals that might invoke the aid of any particular set of divinities I wouldn't recommend learning unless you planned to commit yourself to them."

"Mmm. And I'm gonna hazard a guess those divinities aren't super okay with open relationships. Unless they are, in which case, hey, hit me up. Buuut failing that, I think my life's complicated enough without getting into arguments over who sold Sol's sole soul."

"I honestly never thought to ask. Largely because angering a divine being is the fastest way to have one's soul sent straight to the Void if you're very lucky."

"Yeah, that's the kinda thing you really need to establish at the start of the relationship? Springing that on any kind of partner after you're already entangled is just a recipe for disaster. These things thrive on honest communication, and blindsiding someone with it's just going to make them feel angry and insecure."

Sol nodded sagely. "Though to be fair, most prospective partners in mundane relationships don't have access to the 'smite' button."

"Too true!"

Not that Alastor realized that Sol was talking about amorous relationships. It was just common sense for any type of relationship in Alastor's eyes.

"Fortunately, there's plenty of rootwork that doesn't rely on divine invocation. You could even potentially request whatever deities you choose to believe in to bless your work as a potential boost to its power. Of course, there's no guarantee they'll answer."

Sol beamed. "Well... if it'd be okay with you, maybe you could show me the basic stuff that doesn't involve all the... 'divine invocation', sometime. I've got a lot of stuff growing and you could have your pick? Plenty of it's edible, and some of it's actually from back home, which is crazy because I wouldn't think that xenoflora would grow in what's basically earthlike soil, but something about this place just makes stuff from wherever take root and... not even get crazy kinds of invasive, which you'd think would be a problem any time you introduce new species to an environment, but here, it just. Doesn't happen!"

"Of course! If nothing else, it's useful to know which plants have properties that can be used to heal in a pinch. Like using the bark of a willow tree to reduce a fever or headache."

"Wait. Willows. Aren't those the droopy ones with the branches that go like-" they twisted their arm into an approximation of a hanging branch.

"But I've seen those everywhere! You're telling me they're made of *medicine*??"

"Those are the ones! And, yes, they are! The bark is the original source of aspirin."

He chuckled.

"Though honestly aspirin is a lot easier to swallow than willow bark tea."

[OPEN] Embark on Some Havoc

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