abraxaslogs | [open] wake up, it's time to gather now

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[open] wake up, it's time to gather now

Who: ALL OF THE FREE CITIES.
What: A glorious celebration and a Summoned-powered festival!
When: The second week of May.
Where: The Old Public Hall, the outlaying plaza, spilling into the streets of Cadens.

The Reopening Celebration

[The flyers appear all at once overnight among all of Cadens, with the front text reading: GRAND RE-OPENING OF OLD PUBLIC HALL. FIVE DAYS OF CELEBRATION WITH MERCHANTS FROM ACROSS THE FREE CITIES AND NOCWICH, ALL TO CELEBRATE THE REOPENING OF ONE OF CADEN'S ARCHITECTURAL MARVELS AND THE FREE CITIES'S OWN FORM OVER FUNCTION FESTIVAL! with the dates given underneath.

The back of the flyers will list the precise details, including the topics of each day of the festival. This festival is to act alongside and celebrate the native Free Cities celebration Form Over Function week that the Cities host every year. As with most things Jaskier and Alucard touch, it has to be a little Extra.

New to the city? Want to change careers? As suggested by the mods, the Summoned can use this festival to look for work or make new connections in the Free Cities with the locals displaying their craft. Artists, artisans, playwrights, theatres, inventors, and scientists will be looking for the next wave of brilliant minds and talented individuals.

Also acknowledged on each flyer are the equipment and food donated by the various Free Cities governing bodies.]

The Aquila Portal

[A big celebratory announcement during the first day of the festival will be made in front of the Hall once the market opens. This is the grand unveiling of the new portal that is being permanently opened to Aquila, agreed to by the Free Cities government. The announcement comes from several of the Free Cities' very own Summoned: Jayce, Claude and Sam.

The portal is intended for leisure and business travel and will have a crossing fee. A portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to providing those of lower incomes with a single paid-for trip to and back from the Aquila portal. Please make use of such generosity, Summoned!]

The Lunae and Ikorr

[Most of the festival is meant to feature the local artists and artisans of the Free Cities. However, many artisans from Nocwich have also been invited and provided with their own space, with water misters set up to keep the wolves and vampires (and visitors, of course) cool in the desert air. Long, shaded walkways keep visitors safe from the sun.

The Lunae have a history of traveling to Solvunn to attend celebrations, so they will arrive in Cadens in greater numbers. While the vampires have less of a presence than the werewolves, they will still offer their wares like blood-infused wines, glowing flowers, and unique meat dishes - similar to what was provided last year!

All three Nocwich ambassadors will make an appearance for at least one of the days.]

The Festival Days

[A large open-air market will be open throughout the celebration, which will feature retailers and artisans from Aquila, Cadens, Libertas, the Lunae, and the Ikorr, all set up in the plaza that leads up to Old Public Hall itself. Advertisements will be posted to entice new tourists to Aquila, in the interest of Fallon Marsh's new push for tourism to the coastal city.

Each "day" features a special theme:

Book and Literature Day includes a seller's market inside and on the steps of Old Public Hall, along with book signings throughout, starting off the five-day celebration. The latest and the greatest works that have come from Free Cities minds are featured, sold, and autographed. If you're an up-and-coming writer, there are small podiums and stages set up on the outdoor stages for you to provide readings of your own work and advertise any exciting new book clubs. There is no promise of quality for the open-mic readings, and there's no withholding criticism when it's bad either.

Large presses and the self-published all share their wares, ranging from the latest scientific journals to the unsurprisingly long line to meet the author of the popular Onion James mystery novels. Near the new bar in Old Public Hall, an informal bookclub will open will be hosted. The evening will feature authors in conversations with each other, offering book signings and writing workshops for nervous young novelists. If you're curious, feel free to join in and show off your newest writing piece!

Painting and the Visual Arts Day marks the second day, which will see the Old Public Hall transform into a gallery for a day. Featured artists are lesser-known independents, working to create monumental-sized paintings, glass sculptures that refract light, tiny drawings that show skill on the smallest scale possible, and more. The Hall provides the ground for artists to lay out sales of local paintings, sculptures, woolen arts, and even the services of artists themselves. All matter of art will be set up for sale in the Old Public Hall, as well as works organized on the main floor of the Hall as a gallery. Clothing designers from Aquila will be showing off the latest fashions, as well as looking for new models among the visitors. Libertas's artists will once again be pushing their counterculture art, supported by Quilleth Kaur and the Arts Restoration Committee.

Science Day will feature a symposium on the current state of technological developments in Cadens and how they relate to artistic practice on the third day. Within the Hall itself, the maze of the books from the previous day has been replaced with an open floor plan, allowing for a horseshoe-shaped display of inventors and their wares -- and a surprising amount of artisan fashion work. Two large areas feature in-depth talks about recent developments in both fabric production and sewing machines, resulting in more unique fabrics and dyes that will be displayed later that evening.

Keep an ear out, as the names "Jayce" and "Viktor" float among the populace as Summoned inventors to keep your eyes and attention on. Provided by these two fame-collecting talents is a display of their fantastic revolving armillary sphere, modeled after the astronomy of Abraxas, which casts an atmospheric starry light over the area once night falls. This new permanent installation is now available for viewing in front of Old Public Hall as a navigation point and to show the union between art and science.

Further into the night, garments will be shown, with a discussion about new techniques used and how they were made. The beauty of asymmetry is lauded, with the use of coraline plant fibers for boning, experiments with structure and bright fabric dyes, accented with fine details. Shapes and textures are exaggerated and celebrated. A large screen behind the stage allows for some projection magic to focus on all the little details for the whole crowd to see.

Theatre Day arrives on the fourth day. Indoor and outdoor stages will be set up, featuring short plays and costume shows. There are several morning workshops available for perusal; some are writing-focused, led by some of Libertas's leading playwrights.

Outside of the Hall is the brand new romantic comedy All The Wolves You Loved Before, commissioned for the grand reopening by one "J. Alfred" to be performed for the first time ever. It tells the story of an exceptionally handsome, white-furred werewolf from Nocwich with a charming and surprisingly funny demeanor, falling into scraps and eventually into love. Inside the Hall is the classic Murder Among Thieves, a mystery featuring a group of bandits that are picked off by a killer one by one.

That night, Old Public Hall will host the three-act play It Happened In Section 600. The horror piece sells hard on its exquisite special effects (made with a combination of science and magic), telling the story of Miss Harker, a new librarian at the University in the early days of the Free Cities. Ghosts supposedly haunt the library, but just exactly why remains a mystery until Miss Harker starts her first day. The mystery features spirits and a tale of revenge with the early days of the Free Cities as the backdrop.

Local theatres will provide backstage access and classes on special and visual effects. Playwrights will provide signings and host writing workshops as they scope out new or aspiring young actors. For those brave enough, you can find others to help practice your audition or even aid others in theirs!

Concert Day, which marks the end of the event, features live, performed music from 3 p.m. until midnight, acting as a tour de force of the restored Hall's acoustic capabilities where both technology and magic work together. Smaller, independent bands will be highlighted and enhanced with magical special effects, with -- unsurprisingly -- the night ending with a special performance by the Gem of the Phoenix himself, Jaskier! Rumors have it that the appearance of a real phoenix itself may appear, granting supreme luck to all who see it in the future...

The magic of the Old Public Hall is in use for this concert series, where magic birds will explode and fly among the eaves of the Hall's roof, the roof will disappear in view of the night sky, or small explosions of color — named "fireworks" — pop off with every growing crescendo. The final show will feature a performance of Jaskier's ballad to Lfybringr, ballads of bravery in the Free Cities sands, and exciting tales of forbidden lovers meeting in the eternal night of Nocwich.

The final song of the night, ending the Festival, is "The Phoenix Always Rises From The Ashes," a loud and explosive power ballad that sounds strangely like modern rock to some ears, meant to invigorate and inspire all of those who have lost hope. This show features magnificent displays of wildfire magic, echoing the unrestrained strength of Libertas's people. When the final line echoes through the hall — And the people, like the phoenix, will always rise! — a gigantic, illusionary phoenix will appear, covering the roof of the Hall, giving a beautiful, defiant screech before exploding into feathers. These feathers are soft to the touch, quite real, and can be taken home as souvenirs.

As always, thank you for your patronage and interest in the arts, Free Cities. Remember that, in the end, the people will always rise.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. science day

[Viktor is slightly more accustomed to putting his name and face to his own work than he used to be, but it seems he’s still adjusting to his newfound notoriety. If asked, he’ll say that his tracking gambit to locate the kidnapped was what anyone would have done, but it’s clear that it’s gained him some attention about which he is not sure how to feel.

(He is also not quite sure how to feel about the speech from the Conclave, looking vaguely unreadable for the duration—or maybe it’s just general discomfort with the giant cardboard heads).

But given the fact that he’s an inventor and also a small business owner currently expanding to Aquila, it seems prudent to have representation on this day in particular. There’s a small display outside of the Rio Enterprises, where Viktor is happy to talk at length about his current work—everything from equipment for desert hunters to small clockwork objects, enchanted to the user’s specifications, to more esoteric plans that haven’t yet come to fruition.

Later in the day, he can be found at his armillary sphere, making sure that everything is running smoothly and taking in the atmosphere.]

ii. at the old public hall

[When he does escape the various presentations and festivities, it’s for a very important reason. Jaskier has a concert later in the evening, and a long-discussed plan is coming to fruition. Viktor holes up in the Old Public Hall. Those who try to peek in during the day will find the place chaos, equipment everywhere, wires and cables snaking around the floor, and what appear to be rudimentary speakers and microphones.

It is probably not difficult to guess what may or may not be happening here. This is an important concert, and Jaskier wants it immortalized. Viktor is only happy to oblige.

Ever the perfectionist, he continues to make adjustments even if someone (you) is trying to talk to him, bent into the inner workings of something-or-other. Probably he’s got grease on his face. As soon as he hears someone approach, he’s quick to thrust his free hand out behind him.]

The wrench, there. Hand it to me.

iii. wildcard

[I will write any kind of starter you like. Hit me up on plurk at whitticus OR on discord at whitticus#8139.]

--Is it ready to go?

[Alucard poked his head in every so often during the concert set up, making sure that Viktor had everything needed and was able to work in peace. Now though, with the bigger part of the evening about to begin, he wants to be sure.

Ever a good host, Alucard also holds out a glass of red wine for his friend.]

In case you wanted a drink.

Ready enough.

[Viktor allows Alucard to hover, mostly because he enjoys the company, but partially because this whole festival is because of him, even if he doesn't want to draw attention to himself in that way. The only reason they'll be able to record Jaskier in the first place is because of the work he's done on the acoustics in the Old Public Hall.

He eyes the wine for a moment, then seems to relent and reaches out for it.]

You might regret this. I'm not quite finished.

I mean, I can hold onto it until you're ready.

[Alucard is absolutely going to keep hovering though.]

Do you need a second set of hands?

Well, no, now I want some.

[A sip. Just a modest one, then he's handing the glass back over to Alucard so that he can continue to hover. Once his hands are free, he yanks at some wiring. It's not at all gentle.]

In a moment, perhaps. For now, the company is fine. How is everything proceeding outside?

[Is Alucard pleased with all of this?]

Edited 2023-05-17 14:32 (UTC)

[Alucard laughs. He's the cup bearer, this is fine. And ridiculous.]

Everything is going along as intended, yes. That said, I'm looking forward to taking a break from being around people after this evening is over.

[That was a hell of a yank.]

Do you want me to do anything? Besides stand here and wonder how much bigger Jaskier's ego will get if this works?

Well, yes. Why do you think I'm in here?

[Is it possible that Viktor invented this project as an excuse to not socialize? Well, maybe not, but it's certainly a favorable side effect.]

I've included his ego in the calculus. [And possibly decided that it was unavoidable.] Though I suppose there's something to be said for me launching him to international fame. Maybe the Academy will fund more of my projects.

Oh, I just assumed. Jayce being there to give his speech was probably more than enough in the first place.

[Call that a feeling.

At the comment regarding Jaskier's ego, the dhampir can only laugh.]

You probably didn't calculate enough. It grows bigger every day. Although I do suspect you're right about the funding.

What is the full plan?

Yes, he likes it up there, doesn't he?

[Said with just a hint of bitterness in his voice. He probably doesn't need to tell Alucard why.]

I've accounted for exponential growth. [That's a thing he can do with math, though he might concede that he can't be sure of the exact rate of Jaskier's ego inflation. He gestures to the tangle of wires in front of him.] The plan for this, or my inevitable bottomless well of monetary investment in my research?

--I've been meaning to comment on returning to past habits with him. As an associate making polite observations.

[There is a glance at Viktor though that seems to be asking permission to do this, rather than something he intends to do on his own. It feels too close to meddling in a relationship, which is the last thing Alucard wants to do. However, that bitterness is impossible to ignore.]

Mm, both. I'm curious.

You can make all of the polite observations you like. I probably agree with you.

[Suffice to say that he and Jayce have already had this discussion, and Viktor has made his displeasure known. He gains some amount of solace in that Jayce isn't really in charge of anything here--he'll just be relaying Summoned consensus to the authorities. It's not a real position of power.

Doesn't mean he isn't full of mixed feelings about it, or how quickly Jayce jumped at the chance. If their hypothesis is correct, he's sure that Alucard can sense it. Much easier to deflect and talk about his work.]

I've swapped out some of the cabling and connectors for higher-quality materials. It should give us a better sound. The problem with audio recording here is that it's overly-reliant on New Magic. They're simply trying to make up for the gaps in technology, but it doesn't exactly make for clear recordings.

--Well. If you need something forceful from an outside perspective. Or if you just need to talk.

[Alucard suspects that talking won't be considered immediately, but it feels correct to offer all the same. Viktor is as close to family as anything now. It is the least that can be done.

It's not lost on him that both the dhampir and Viktor resort to work rather than engage with emotions.]

Hm. What kind of technology would you need to override the use of New Magic? I think your time and place is ahead of where my father got to, but a detail might help wiggle something loose.

I might. In a moment.

[As always, the work is what's important, and Viktor is more than willing to forego his own emotional needs to talk about the project at hand.

He shrugs a little in the direction of the tangle of cables.]

In most cases, New Magic simply replaces electricity. I understand why and how, but ultimately if the Free Cities were to invest in, say, steam, or hydroelectric generators, or even wind power, they would find that much of their technology could become cheaper and more accessible. Of course, it's a lot of money and materials and labor up front. Why do that, when they could continue to use magic as a stop-gap?

--We can do both.

[Alucard's pretty sure he's missing something else.

He doesn't press though. He never presses.]

And so far as they've experienced, the magic doesn't fail either. What you just described can fail, and then there's a different sort of issue. It's-- [Alucard pauses, gesturing to the Hall.] If the spellwork failed, the architecture could do most of the work. Not all, things wouldn't be quite right, but they could manage. They work together towards the same goal - one doesn't replace the other. And I do not see the Free Cities going for anything that you just described.

But the desert has wind. If you were to build an experimentation station.

Jayce claims to have sworn off this kind of thing, knowing the harm that he caused, but he likes it. He likes the attention and he likes the feeling of contributing to something greater, even if that something is a political body, rather than what's actually important. I've told him how wary this makes me, and he does it anyway, because he truly believes it's a path to do good.

[All of that comes out abruptly, like he's been holding it inside--mostly because he has. He immediately looks ashamed, like he shouldn't have said anything at all, and then his gaze drops to his hands.]

I'm sorry. I suppose all this talk of wind turbines is just a distraction.

Viktor, I took on restoring this Hall so that I could avoid working through the myriad of feelings about things you've learned of my past.

[He gets it. He really does. Alucard's brain still hasn't decoupled from the conviction that if he keeps moving at a rapid pace, the worst of his depression can remain far away.

There's a long, slow sigh.]

The problem is that in a way, he isn't incorrect. Doing good in and of itself doesn't get traction if the changes you're trying to make are society based. Working outside the bounds of authority generally just gets you killed. But...inventing shouldn't require that level of connection either, I shouldn't think.

He needs real dedication to break out of the habit, it sounds like.

Fair enough.

[He'll keep working, regardless, because he likes to keep busy and to keep his hands occupied. It's not an adequate distraction, but it helps. Alucard's sigh lets Viktor know they're on the same page at least.]

He is, above all else, sincere. I truly believes he thinks he's doing what's best.

[But Jayce is flawed, and has blind spots, and maybe Viktor is just concerned that history is going to repeat itself, despite the fact that they should both know better, this time.]

Why he needs to this, even now, after everything, I don't know.

Did you ask him that part? The why now?

[Alucard loiters a little behind Viktor at this point, offering what space he can. It feels like all he can do, since this is a far more close conversation than he expected to have. Emotionally speaking.]

He cares about this place.

[And it isn't that Viktor doesn't, but he's been resistant to invest in it beyond what he feels is necessary. He's here against his will, and he hasn't forgotten his commitments to his home. Viktor can't just throw it all away.]

He wants to make it better. That, I can understand, and I'm heartened that he won't have any actual authority, but I thought we'd made...progress. From where we were back home.

The term is highly limited, yes? With regards to time, I mean.

[Alucard can't remember how long it is. He had pointedly not cared about it, the whole thing more than a little suspect in his mind.]

Maybe that's the hard limit per year or something. Enough to feed the part of him that wants that recognition, and the rest to avoid larger problems. Or are you worried that even a taste is too much?

Yes, and he says he'll step down when his is up, though I suppose we'll have to see.

[Viktor wants to believe that Jayce will step down as promised, desperately, but he also knows Jayce, and knows that the influence won't be so easy for him to relinquish. Maybe if others express interest in joining, he'll step aside.

There's nothing he can materially do about it until then. Jayce is already back on stage, clearly enjoying the limelight once again.]

Likely nothing will come of it. I'm worrying myself for no reason.

I think you're right to be concerned. And to want to have a plan, just in case.

[But that's the question, isn't it? That Viktor is probably avoiding.]

What happens if he doesn't step down?

I'll deal with it. But I'm sure he'll have lots of pretty excuses, in an attempt to change my mind.

[Platitudes about how they need to look after this place while they're here, and make it better. Ensure that the Summoned have someone in their corner, and how he's the right person for the job. Viktor might even agree, if not for the fact that he generally dislikes the idea of Jayce serving in any political capacity.

He doesn't trust that it won't pull him away from their work, the way it did last time. And, perhaps, he doesn't necessarily trust all of Jayce's decisions--but that's only part of what's really bothering him, it seems.]

Jayce has everything he wants here. He's decided that means he can do whatever ridiculous thing he likes. [It's clear, by now, that Viktor is actually talking about something else--he's become a bit more animated, his eyebrows furrowed in consternation, and his hands fiddle aggressively with knobs and dials and clamps.] He asked me to marry him.

[Viktor considers this a mostly ridiculous thing, evident by his tone of voice, but there's a defeated quality there, too, like saying it out loud to someone else finally makes it real.]

[Alucard is set to say something about excuses. To ask if maybe there are limits that need to be stated, otherwise whatever the two have might not work out int he long run. The dhampir also knows that he shouldn't even be speculating, given that the last relationship he had ended with a murder attempt, actual murder, and then impaling corpses on the lawn. It is inappropriate at best, and--

--he blinks. Slow. Then offers Viktor the wine glass again, given that the tone of the statement makes it seem like he could use the damn thing.

There's nothing to say to that. So the better way to think about the whole mess is to reframe it.]

Do you have everything you want here so you can do whatever ridiculous thing you like?

[Actually no. That's not helpful. Alucard realizes it only after he asks. He exhales, then just. Sits himself on the floor, pausing to fan his cape out behind him.

God how did his father manage wearing one all the time?]

You didn't agree for no reason. Are the politics your only concern?

Ugh. [A disgruntled noise, elicited by Alucard's assuming much better of him.] I said yes.

[He might not understand why Jayce considers formalizing their relationship in this way to be necessary, but he does know that it would make him happy. He wants to make Jayce happy, in spite of everything, and is willing to put up with a little Piltie nonsense to make it happen. The problem is that Viktor doesn't have everything he wants. Not here.]

This would not have been possible for us back home, so I understand the impulse. But without mastery of the summoning ritual, all of it is just...

[He trails off, slightly. Takes a heavy sip of wine. Tries to concentrate on the pattern of cables and circuits in front of him. At least that makes sense.]

Well, it's a nice dream.

[Something he could wake up from at any time.]

Edited 2023-05-22 21:44 (UTC)

[open] wake up, it's time to gather now

viktor | ota

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