[OPEN] Embark on Some Havoc

[lonelysmiles]

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!

Comments

[empyreancatastrophe]

That's... well, Joshua couldn't exactly argue. Part of the difficulty in changing the world for the better (or so he, his brother, and all of the Outlaws hope) was trying to sever humans' dependence on magic before it sucked the land dry. There's also the matter of the god-like being orchestrating it all, but that's a different bridge to burn on another day.

That dark aspect of humanity is one that he'd been fighting against for so long. It took its toll on him physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, but giving up on his fellow man just wasn't an option. Even if it was, he wouldn't be able to take it.

He cared too much.

"Flawed as we are, we cannot change unless given a chance and a reason."

He tilted his head, studying Alastor before speaking up again.

"Do you watch us with pity or amusement, I wonder."

[lonelysmiles]

"Both, actually, because once upon a time I was naive enough to believe that with progress came enlightenment. Then I died and got to watch the human race mimic the behavior of someone who drinks too much, swears never to drink again during the hangover, but drinks too much again at the earliest opportunity. It's hilarious to watch the first few times, but soon enough it becomes simply pathetic."

Alastor's ambient static was joined by the faint sounds of jazz music that began rather peppy but became more somber as he continued speaking.

"I lived during a time of decadence -- Prohibition notwithstanding -- that was swiftly followed by one of abject poverty. But during my time, people still had the skills necessary to weather the storm if they worked hard and were resourceful enough. Their lives were hard and it was more survival than living but those who chose not to surrender to hopelessness managed to come out the other side wiser for it. Swore never to let it happen again. Yet nowadays their children and grandchildren are in a far worse position where the modern conveniences have become the modern necessities. If they're permanently cut off from what powers their world, they haven't the skill necessary to adapt and thrive without it."

He raised a bemused eyebrow.

"Much like your people with magic, I assume."

[empyreancatastrophe]

He'd been visited by many a ghost in his dreams back home, but they were, like all other parts of those dreams, figments that disappeared come the morning. They weren't the tangible realms within the even bigger realm that boasted the capacity to give them such power. This was Joshua's first time, as far as he knew, making the acquaintance of a being who'd died and returned in a more traditional sense.

Other than maybe himself, but that was more a technicality that he's reluctant to count.

The novelty, for lack of a better word, quickly gave way to the music and words that followed. The former was unfamiliar, but the melody was easy to fall into, even with its changes.

The latter was all too familiar. A somber parallel recognizable to the point of pain.

When the tall, bright specter alluded further, Joshua's intrigue shifted into calculation. Was magic such an obvious factor in his dream that making such an assumption was merely an act of observation? Or was its use so common, in one way or another, among the Dreamers of Songerein that it was more likely for someone to have magic in their repertoire than not? Or did this visitor simply know?

Regardless of the answer, there was no point in trying to deny what they both knew.

"Your assumption is correct," he said in reply, eyeing the Mothercrystal, "Magic has become such a necessary luxury that we feel naught about abusing the power of the crystals... nor about abusing any of our fellow men who naturally embody that power."

That wasn't exactly making the best case for humans, but to obfuscate the ugliest parts of his people did them no favors in the long run. Not when his conversation partner already knew enough to feel some level of jadedness towards them.

[lonelysmiles]

"We humans are an entire species of fools," Alastor noted dryly.

He bent down to scoop up a bit of the dead earth in his clawed hand, straightening back up as it easily crumbled to sand (ash?) through his fingers.

"When I was alive, I studied rootwork: using plants for spells, potions, poultices, etc. But the moment I arrived here, I could feel that there was no natural magic to be found. It's deeply unsettling. Even in Hell, there's power in the earth and plants."

Life (or at least existence) was its own type of magic, after all.

He eyed the giant crystal. "What you said earlier about this 'Mothercrystal' and the people living in decadence...am I correct in my assumption that that beautiful stone is part of the reason the land is dead? Or have I misinterpreted?"

[empyreancatastrophe]

"I'm afraid you're correct," Joshua replied, eyeing the towering crystal with a cross of distaste and respect. "We call her and her sisters Mothercrystals, and it is indeed a factor in why my home realm is suffering the way it is. One of many.”

Back home, a few deft tugs on an array of threads revealed an intricate web of tapestries, each weaving more and more into one another. Joshua can’t be sure he, his brother, and their companions have gotten anywhere close to chipping the veneer of the forces working against them—and by extension, all of humanity. Regardless, those forces needed to be stopped.

Because if the Blight was literally worse than Hell, then their recovery was going to be even harder than anticipated.

He took in a deep breath and looked at the dead plants and soil around them.

“In your studies, have you ever seen life recover from such a state?”

[lonelysmiles]

"Yes, but not on this scale. It takes a very, very long time. Nutrients need to build back up in the soil for starters. Simple enough to solve with enough dead things rotting away. However, everything that might transfer to the earth to renew the cycle is getting drained off before it can be absorbed. It'd be like trying to fill a barrel of water without fixing the hole in the barrel."

Which meant that the Mothercrystal they were staring at and all its "sisters" would have to be destroyed before any sort of renewal could begin. Nature was at times surprisingly resilient -- life was tenacious -- but there were certain things it couldn't recover from without aid.

[empyreancatastrophe]

Alastor was correct. The Mothercrystals needed to be destroyed.

"Then we've only one more."

There was a certain twisted relief knowing that bringing down the Mothercrystals would be the key to healing his people. Clive's plan, arguably drastic and immoral, depending on who was asked, ultimately proved to be the right call. The dead earth and Alastor’s words only reaffirmed that there was no other option. It could also be argued that Joshua sought any comfort or affirmation for his brother’s (and by extension his own) actions, but that was a thought best saved for navel gazing in the dead of night, when dreams were abated by the gate of insomnia.

Instead, he chose to believe in humanity’s prosperity. They just needed time, and the Mothercrystals were robbing them of it.

As for the consequences, he wished he and his brother could shoulder them alone. Atone for their necessary sin without dragging others into it. However, the Bearers, already taking on the brunt of the fury in response to his brother’s actions, would be the ones to suffer. Humanity would have to be guided into an era of radical trust and reliance in one another.

And as Alastor said, they’re notoriously very bad at that kind of change.

But there’s more to it. There always was. Because just as messy, selfish, and cruel as humans could be, they also demonstrated camaraderie, grit, and adaptability.

“I have hope,” Joshua finally responded after a period of contemplative silence.

Just as the words left his mouth, one of the cloaked figures stopped in its tracks and, hesitant, began to turn around.

[lonelysmiles]

Unfortunately, sometimes seemingly cruel steps had to be taken to ensure future prosperity. Just because someone thought that their arm was fine and perfectly usable didn't mean it was true when a doctor could see that it was infected down to the marrow, requiring amputation before the infection spread to the rest of the body.

Or, if Charlie's of redemption somehow turned out to be true, cutting down those particularly blackened souls to give those who might someday be able to save themselves a chance to do so.

Alastor chuckled. "Sometimes that's all anyone ever has, it seems."

[empyreancatastrophe]

“‘Tis a powerful enough force on its own.”

It would be foolish to deny the possibility that it was optimism speaking in his stead. However, it would also be foolish to deny the sheer power hope has proven to possess throughout his pursuits and mission. Without it, nothing was possible. Of that, Joshua felt sure.

That single act of a faceless figure breaking away from their brethren did its part in reaffirming his belief.

Which left room for other matters.

“Pray humor me,” Joshua mused, “to what do I owe the honor of hosting a specter from Hell itself?”

[lonelysmiles]

"Simple curiosity," Alastor admitted without hesitation. "Yours was a rather unique nightmare. I'd never seen such a wasteland before. Not even the one surrounding Orkili can compare."

He looked out over the dead landscape.

"Most nightmares people have here are monsters, usually from a past incident. However, the locations they take in are more or less contained. The 'monster' is the rogue element in an otherwise relatively normal location. Yours, however, was entirely unnatural. I never would've suspected that the 'monster' behind it all was a crystal."

[empyreancatastrophe]

Joshua stayed quiet throughout Alastor's explanation outside of a quiet nod here and there. He respected his visitor's honesty and the directed nature thereof, even with the unfortunate and unpleasant implications of his nightmare's make-up.

He also couldn't help the rueful quirk of his lips.

"The crystal is but one 'monster' of many. As you can imagine, the machinations surrounding the Mothercrystals are deep and complex. There is more at play than what meets the eye."

Because there always was.

"What little I can say with confidence is that this wasteland will not be allowed to spread any further. Neither in my dreams nor back in the waking world."