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
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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Not really. The worst that would happen is getting kicked out of the dream and a slight headache. Speaking from experience."

Asura had been rather rude with throwing him out that one time.

"I've never run into anyone that suffered any major ill-effects."

"Oh. Oh, good." If it was just a dream, then he could...

He walked in the direction of the growling, doing his best to look confident... even though his hands were shaking. "I can do this. I can do this."

Could he? He wasn't sure.

Alastor watched with bemusement at the young man before taking a few quick long-legged strides to catch up with him, holding out a hand to stop him.

"You look like you're marching to the noose to be hanged," he said bluntly. "With that sort of attitude, you're going to immediately lose control."

He summoned his microphone to twirl it before placing both hands atop it to lean on it.

"Were you aware that the sort of demon I am has a fully demonic form?"

There was a point to the question. Partially as a way to jerk the boy out of his own clear fear of what was coming next and as a way to potentially give the kid a way to control his inner monster.

... He tilted his head curiously at the microphone, confused at it. Was... was that some kind of lance? But anyway. The man was trying to make a point, and Ryu shook his head.

"I know demons are a class of creature, but I don't really know what they are." So no, not really.

"It depends upon where they come from. Reverein has had quite a few different types of demons from different realms. Where I come from, demons come in two broad categories: Hellborn -- which are naturally-born demons like imps -- and Sinners like me who became demons in death as punishment for their wicked deeds in life or angels who chose to rule in Hell rather than live in Heaven for their own selfish reasons."

Alastor tapped his fingers on the microphone head.

"For the record, I'm one of the dead ones."

His grin widened before he continued.

"Regardless, powerful demons from the Hell I came from have more powerful forms. A 'true' demon form. Quite terrifying, really. All of this power and an overwhelming drive to harm everyone in the near vicinity. Often times brought out during times of stress like intense fear or anger."

He didn't really have much of a conception of an afterlife - despite his godly status - but he... supposed it was possible? A whole new set of questions, none of which were the point at the current time. What he was trying to get at was more important.

... Hm.

"Is there a halfway form? Or is it all or nothing?"

"Those who learn to control their full demon form can partially transform, yes. I wouldn't call it a midway form but I might, say, grow my antlers to be a bit more impressive than usual if I feel it would help me make a point."

Alastor raised a brow.

"Of course, the first step to mastering one's full demon form is to accept that it didn't come from nowhere. One's full demon form is the outward expression of a demon's truest self and all that comes with it. Typically in full demon form, they're a slave to their worst impulses: incredibly dangerous if only for the fact that the idea of consequences for acting on their impulses doesn't even cross their minds."

"... I see." So sort of similar... he wasn't sure if it was the exact same, but he understood the comparison. "And I know that form that I can't control... it came from my anger and despair. But... I don't know how to control those emotions. Anger's like water - if you try to hold onto it then it just slips through your hands."

At least anger for him. He didn't hold onto it often. It was an emotion he didn't like that much... he preferred to hold onto happiness.

"So how do you control something like that? With an emotion that you can't really understand?"

"You don't try to hold the water. You guide the flow."

He summoned a flame in his hand, holding it between them.

"Naturally, my full demon form would want to take this flame and burn you, the mountain we're standing on, and everything else until not a scrap of fuel was left. But I keep it from doing so by guiding what my full demon form can burn and what is off-limits. The urge to burn is satiated but I remain in control."

"... But how do you control it? How do you not lose yourself to the anger and just burn everything?" That was what he had trouble with the most - anger was so powerful that it was easy to lose himself in it. He didn't want to, but it was so difficult to keep in control that he simply... couldn't seem to.

To be fair he hadn't been angry often in his life, but that wasn't a very long time.

"That's the tricky part: You need to remain focused on the target that inspires what you wish to burn. That takes practice, but it's a lot easier to ride on the gator's back and clamp its jaws shut than try to outrun it."

He tilted his head.

"Think of something that makes you righteously angry. For example, I despise those who prey on the weak. It makes my blood boil at the very thought of it. When in my fully demonic form, all I want is to destroy so I focus those predators. I can sink my claws and teeth into them without remorse, easing the need to unleash violence without indiscriminately killing. Even if the source of my ire isn't close by, I can remain focused to hunt them down."

"That's something I hate as well. Rasso didn't care who got in his way... he hurt children." Or people who were basically children, anyway - Chek was a weird town. "But thinking of that... I still lost control. His monster struck down everyone else in my group and I lost control and I..."

Well. He didn't really have to elaborate. The silence probably said everything he needed.

Alastor clicked his tongue. "Just because the technique is simple doesn't make it easy to master. It takes a significant amount of practice! There's a reason I decided to beard each proverbial -- and one literal -- dragon in its den: less collateral damage. Those genuinely loyal to the Old Overlords for whatever Creator-only-knows reason were excellent distractions from those taking the chance to make a break for it. It wasn't until the tenth or eleventh that I started getting a proper grasp on how to control the rampage!"

He tapped his fingers on the head of his microphone.

"But avoiding it altogether wouldn't have fixed anything. You don't master an instrument by only playing once in a blue moon and then not practicing again due to how terrible you sound. You have to keep trying even if that means finding someplace isolated where people can't throw things at you while you struggle to master the basics."

"I guess... it's safer here, in dreams. I don't know if it'll translate to my waking - or... sort of waking self?" If they were all dreaming, how were they dreaming while they were dreaming? Not something he'd encountered before.

"I don't know if there are all that many places where I can -" There was another growl. "... Where I can safely 'go on a rampage' and not hurt people. ... I want to get better. I really do - I just... I can't bear to hurt people who don't deserve it." But he was at least willing to try, if he could. It was just a matter of finding the right space. ... And the right targets.

[OPEN] Embark on Some Havoc

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