The Festival of Enlightenment - The Free Cities

[abraxasmods]

 

Enlightenment - The Free Cities

In the Free Cities, Enlightenment has come once more.

In each major hub, lanterns and lights of every kind are being hung everywhere. On every storefront, every sidewalk, every home and every fence. From elaborate custom made lanterns with color changing lights to simple hand carved candle lanterns and everything in between. By the time Enlightenment proper rolls around, the three major cities are bedecked in lights..

Lanterns and elaborate candle holders and artfully carved candles are going on sale everywhere. Flyers are being plastered on walls announcing The Annual Circus of The Sciences! The latest and most impressive inventions from every corner of the Free Cities! Hosted by Prime Minister Reiner herself!

This is a time to celebrate technology. Free from a dependency on magic, The Free Cities thrive in this time of literal and metaphorical darkness. The phrase ‘lights for Enlightenment!’ is on every citizen’s lips. In the evenings, night markets pop up in the streets. Vendors offering little mechanical toys and decorations set up, as well as the latest street cuisines, and light up jewelry to celebrate the holiday. Pendants, earrings, headpieces, bracelets... some of them glow due to naturally occurring substances, some have chemical reactions activated with the press of a button that make them light up and twinkle.

Circus of the Sciences

In Cadens the focus is on inventions and the latest technological advancements, the buzz about this year’s Circus of The Sciences spreading through the city. On Enlightenment Day, in front of Portham Hall, the greatest inventors from all over the Free Cities gather to show off their greatest inventions, each vying to win the coveted prize of government funding. All inventions are on display to the public - there’s a great deal of talk about an engine powered entirely by steam! - and judged by a team of Ministry officials.

Yet none judge quite as harshly as the infamous Head Judge, Aleksander G. Klingel. Known not only for his own contributions to Cadens innovations and technological milestones, but for his biting commentary during the competition itself. Some of the less technologically minded have even made it a point to attend just to see what the winning insult will be this year...

"I wouldn't trust you running a bath let alone a hydroplane."

"Are you a stuffed puppet? Because your head must be filled with felt to come up with something this inane."

"This is really a tough decision... because you're all crap."

And even the summoned have a role to play, if they so choose. Aleksander is more than happy to compensate any of the Summoned for their time... if they’d just participate in a teeny little holiday experiment. All they need to do is hold a metal rod for a few minutes. Aleksander promises it’s not dangerous, that little tingle is perfectly normal...

Mind over Magic

In Libertas and Aquila, new plays and performances are debuting - and all seem to have a common theme: the power and superiority of technology over magic. Even overheard conversations may espouse the same ideals - how strange that the other kingdoms still rely on magic, it’s just irrational! The theme of technology and light are found even in the newest fashion collections, unveiled for the season, utilizing reflective fabric and metals.

Should anyone ask a local how long, exactly, this holiday is celebrated for, they’ll be told that in honor of the light of technology triumphing over the dim, the festivities last all day and all night. Come the day, the street markets open in the morning and stay open until the next morning. There’s singing and drinking in the streets, everyone trying to stay up until dawn to show that the spirit of the Free Cities will never go dark. Starting with The Circus of The Sciences, kicked off by a speech from Prime Minister Marlo.

Standing on the steps of Portham Hall, wearing her formal military garb, is Prime Minister Marlo Reiner. She holds up her hands for silence from the crowds.

"Welcome, once again, to another celebration of the Enlightenment! We’re gathered together to celebrate and illuminate all the hard work that each and every one of you do, every day, to make our Free Cities what they are! We’ve cut ties with relying on magic to do everything for us and we thrive! Even now, in the darkest part of the year when the rest of the world struggles, we thrive! Because we rely on ourselves! Your minds are more powerful than magic and nothing can dim your light!

"So let’s have a good time! Starting with the Circus of The Sciences! Enjoy the best of what the human mind has accomplished, and if you see something you really like, I don’t think a single one of our inventors would refuse a donation. Judges will be making the rounds soon.

"Here’s to another year of changing the world!"

With a thunderous roar of applause, The Day of Enlightenment officially begins!

A Closing Ceremony

(Coming soon! The events of December 21st and beyond will depend on player actions...)

---

OOC: Event #5: The Dimming

LOG: Thorne | The Free Cities | Solvunn

PvP: The Mission to the Singularity

Comments

A Call to Action!

[abraxasnpcs]

The Prime Minister has a special request of all Summoned, who have been issued missives delivered by ministry couriers. All Summoned in the Free Cities are invited to Portham Hall after the festivities of Enlightenment have begun.

Should the invitation be accepted, the Summoned will be escorted to a large meeting hall where Marlo herself and the Ministry's Head Scientist are waiting. They sit together at a large wooden table, a position from which they can address the Summoned easily. Once all are assembled, the Prime Minister stands to speak.

"I want to thank every one of you for coming. Some of you I know, some of you I don't, but I thank you. Now more than one of you have asked me how you can help us out, in general and with figuring out what we need to about the Singularity. Well, I've got something you can help us with." The Minister's voice is friendly as she offers her speech.

"Right now, the Singularity's weak. That doesn't mean anything to us, but it means something to Thorne - and before anybody starts jumping to conclusions, we are not about to invade Thorne. But you want to stop the summoning of people. We want that, too. And I think we can at least put a stick in Thorne's wheel, with your help. The short of it is that Thorne has power taken from the Singularity. They stock it up so they can use it to keep their magic strong this time of year. They send it out to the Singularity. If that power doesn't make it to the Singularity... you see where this is going. We want you to intercept, and bring that power here. Now I've got to go see to some festival formalities, Aleksander here will fill in any gaps I left. He understands this a lot better than I do anyway.

"But I do just want to stress that we're asking you to do this. You can say no, and we won't hold it against you. But we'd sure appreciate the help."

With a broad smile, the Prime Minister nods to her Head Scientist and heads out a door behind her.

Aleksander doesn't wait for the doors to close as he steps forward and begins to speak, his own expression one of perpetual irritation.

"Their magic is not free-floating so don't expect to try and net some magical orbs like a child catching butterflies. They'll be housed in contraptions they call 'caskets' for whatever reason but that means they're equally transportable for you lot. We don't know how sturdy these are so handle them with some amount of care. You may be able to withstand the raw effects of Singularity's magic but we want to do more than to be a thorn...in Thorne's side."

He adjusts the brim of his hat. That was a good one.

"You will be appropriately outfitted and defensive measures will be taken here in the Cities during your mission. Retrieve and intercept as many as you are able, the less that Thorne can claim and the more that we can house to research, the better. Don't fuddle about and you will be compensated for your success. Understood?"

Aleksander doesn't wait for affirmation.

"Good. If you decide to assist, meet outside my laboratory. One of my assistants will show you the way. Good day."

With a curt nod, Aleksander places his hands behind his back and leaves through the same doors.


(Characters can discuss Marlo's request in Portham Hall by responding to this thread. If your character decides to join the mission to the Singularity, please use the sign-up thread over here! A log for the mission itself will be posted on Saturday, Dec 18th.)

Goro | Mortal Kombat | The Chariot

[fourarmedandangerous]

Goro lingers in the hall after Marlo and Aleksander have left. He did not take a seat, since trying to would have resulted in a crushed chair. Instead, with a simple gesture of one of his lower hands, a throne cut from a block of stone, sized for a Shokan, rises out of the floor, and Goro takes his seat there. After the proposal is made, he cups his chin in one of his upper arms in thought while his lower hands stepple together. That's right, he can do both poses simultaneously, bitches.

"We must assume Solvunn will attempt to interfere as well." He rumbles finally. "They stand in opposition to both ourselves and Thorne, they will not sit back and allow us to take from Thorne what they doubtless hope to hoard for themselves. I assume we are all in agreement we cannot allow that to happen."

He rises, to better address the Summoned. "Our path then, is simple. Take the caskets, and kill anyone who gets in our way. That power will belong to us."

Looks like his mind is made up.

matthias helvar | grishaverse | the lovers

[enelmord]

Nobody has ever mistaken Matthias Helvar for the life of the party. While he does make an attempt at socializing, not really knowing anybody beyond the minimal level of "I grunted hello to you this morning in the mess hall" certainly subdues the festivities. More of an observer than a participant, he wanders through the crowd. Once or twice he catches himself turning as if expecting to find someone walking beside him. Green eyes glinting with mischief, a full smile. But there's no one there, no one he knows.

A potential mission, though — that's more up his alley. Matthias follows the missive's directions to the meeting in Portham Hall. Once the Prime Minister and Aleksander vacate the building, he turns to frown at whomever happens to be beside him.

"What do you think this country's government will do with the power in those caskets once they've studied it?" he asks.

[falcony]

Sam, on the other hand, had been pretty much been expecting a bit more party when he arrived at the festival. The well-worded call to arms has him a little wary (okay, more than a little), but he does his best not to let it deter him from the goal he'd actually had coming here - checking the faces, making himself known among the locals, checking in on those he knows and those he doesn't, and then when they're all summoned (ha ha) to Portham Hall after, of course Sam goes.

After his conversations with Marlo, there was no chance he'd miss it. But more than that, Sam wants to make sure he's not missing any new arrivals, which is partially how he ends up to the blond's side, arms crossed over his chest and frown not as deep as it could be, but there. At the question, though, Sam glances over, shrugs once.

"They're not exactly at electricity yet, last I checked it out, so probably power experiments. Look to use it to work on new tech. Power like that- no telling how it'll end up being used." Sam does not exactly sound excited about the prospect, but that's a much longer conversation this kid probably isn't entirely looking to start. Still, after another moment, Sam will relax - dropping his arms from where they'd been crossed over his chest and offering a hand. "Name's Sam, by the way. I don't think we've met."

[enelmord]

It's all very much over Matthias' head, how power like that works. Power as an entity in its own right, not just the product of something you can easily grasp like coal or kerosene. Magic, people around here call it. Despite his best efforts, it makes him uneasy. He was only just beginning to understand Grisha power — a connection to the makings of the world, something innate in a person. It cannot exist beyond the boundaries of a person's body to take on a life of its own, not like this.

Which is all to say that there's a lot of frowning going on over here. But that's also sort of Matthias' default expression, staying in place even when Sam lightens up.

"Matthias," he answers, completing the handshake. Firm grip, single shake. "I just got here."

There isn't much else to say about that, he thinks — well, nothing he'd want to unload on a stranger — so he turns back to the initial topic. "Whatever they decide to do with it, at least we'll have hindered Thorne."

That may be the one thing he's certain about in this conflict he's been thrust into: a monarch who hopes to shape the entire world to his liking strikes him as Very Bad.

DO YOU EVER FULLY BELIEVE YOU POSTED A TAG FOR SOMETHING + YOU JUST NEVER DID??? oh my god im sorry

[falcony]

It is complicated, and Sam can say that with gusto, considering he's from a world that the Free Cities are - in a way - trying to get to but haven't yet. There seems to be a learning curve for just about everyone who shows up here, no matter the faction or the background. Sam does his best, but honestly all he's really able to pick up on are the way people respond to it. Because that doesn't change, magic or technology or something in between.

The frown on the kid has Sam's brow up, if only because he's waiting for the questions. Waiting for any indication about what that frown is supposed to mean. But then it lightens and he shakes Sam's hand and Sam smiles back to him, friendly. "Welcome to Cadens, Matthias." A beat, and then Sam's shoulders seem to sag a fraction, almost like he's a bit disappointed. Not in Matthias, necessarily. Just in general. "I'm guessing they gave you the speech about Thorne and Solvunn?"

Hector | Castlevania | The Magician

[petcromancer]

[Usually, Hector agrees to the ideas espoused in the Free Cities. The freedom from the ruling class, the rejection of tradition, the pursuit of knowledge and the arts, it all makes logical sense. But... why the fuck does that have to come at the expense of magic?

He's sitting at a table outside of the tavern on one of the illuminated nights of the festival, with a half-drunk bottle of wine and a sour expression. He's torn down a 'Mind over Magic!' flier from a wall and is in the process of shredding it.]

What a stupid fucking concept. Magic is fueled by the mind. It's another means of affecting change in the natural world. How the hell is rejecting it 'enlightened'?

[It's... illogical. Purely nonsensical. And Hector is pissed because of that only and not because of his crushing disappointment that the Free Cities might be just as prejudiced and short sighted as the people of Wallachia were. Yeah.]

[priestified]

[ Maxwell snorts from the other side of the table. He is drinking from a tankard of something-or-other, warming and strongly alcoholic. Hector didn't invite him to this conversation, but he's showing up to it anyway. ]

They hit a nerve with you, huh?

[petcromancer]

[Hector's scowl deepens.]

Yes. What about alchemy? Science and magic can be blended, it's not a hard concept to grasp.

[He's so salty about this, and Maxwell's seeming amusement at his annoyance isn't helping.]

[priestified]

[ Unfortunately, Hector's visible displeasure does little to dull Maxwell's apparent amusement at the whole situation.

As much as he recognizes that in this world, magic is real, it still sounds like a bunch of whackos arguing over mumbo-jumbo. Especially when those whackos can see that magic with their own eyeballs and still refuse to harness it for their needs. ]

Yeah, well. It's obviously political, not practical.

[petcromancer]

Politics. [Hector hisses, giving it the venom of a curse. Bloody fucking politics. There was no escaping them, no matter where he went.

He takes another long gulp of wine.]

Fucking ridiculous is what it is. They're just bitter because they used to be a part of Thorne, and Thorne is obsessed with magic. A whole country trying to cut off its nose to spite its face.

Alucard | Castlevania | The Hierophant

[cryptsleeper]

Earth stood hard as iron
[Since the events of the last festival, the graveyards of Cadens have slowly been attending to. Rubble cleared, and the long, painstaking work of reassembly has begun.

One of them has had some additional landscaping done: new textures of greenery, careful management, and off to one corner, a four armed cactus with a hollow at the base. Sometimes, it looks as if the base has a critter living it. Other times, a thin, pale man can be seen kneeling over another canvas, fitting fragmented pieces of stone back together.

With the Dimming, the man seems to disappear all together. There is only a large white wolf that patrols the entrance most hours of the night. Any who approach receive a sharp grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr from just ahead on the path, gold eyes staring at them.

During the day, the wolf is still around, sitting besides statues or lurking beside a headstone. The reaction is not as sharp, but there's no hiding the tension in the wolf's body or the disapproval in the creature's gaze.]

Water like a stone
[Alucard was never good with crowds. Since deciding he'd rather be a wolf most days, he's found himself worse at it. It is easier to prowl at the edge of things, or to walk when there are fewer crowds.

Which is precisely why when he does slip into the Circus of Sciences, it is during the nominal lunch break for inventors and crowds. Oh yes, there are assistance in charge of attending to the security of machines and answering the questions of those who have done the same as the dhampir, but it is easier. No one presses in around him.

He even asks questions. Occasional ones. What would be the long term issues of maintaining something, if this became a public work? or else Why use a more expensive metal? Enough to suggest that he has some knowledge, but never anything further.

But eventually, time moves on. Crowds filter back in, and the dhampir sighs heavily.]

I thought that the break period was meant to be longer.

Wildcard
Anything else? PM me.

Water like a stone

[cointosser]

[It's not that Jaskier is looking in particular for anyone -- honestly, he simply wants to walk, to be among people, to feel breezes and sunshine (or, er, candlelight) and shit and perhaps feel like everything is as it should be, even though it isn't. At least not in him.

And he leaves home because the more it roils and tumbles through him, the more selfish it feels. And gods, does Jaskier just HATE feeling selfish, a thing which he most definitely is not.

So the festival lends itself to being a very opportune distraction. With glowing lights and pieces of jewelry (he has a glowing ring on every finger now, and a winding bracelet that lights his scar) and the normal, fun things he should be reveling in. Crowds! He could even perform here!

And yet his lute sits at home, alone.

And he is ducking into a circus! Except, when he looks around, it isn't a circle at all. Nary is there a single exotic bird to be admired as it does tricks or lights on fire. There are machines that, honestly, look like nothing to him. There's this biting commentary on in the background, and while the sour tone may have amused him once, it's particularly grating now.

Jaskier perks up when he hears a familiar sigh. It's the sight, really, even moreso than his voice. And the shock he feels at seeing this one in a crowd, oh! A painting should be made of it, as rare an event as it is.]

Apropos of nothing, my dear friend, I have a question for you. [Oh, it could definitely be about these machinations. They could even have a riveting conversation on science! Is that what Jaskier does? Absolutely not.] Where on this blessed, sweet earth did you get the idea that pierogi look like that? They had legs. Legs.

[A philosophical question that has plagued him for days.]

[cryptsleeper]

[If the crowds were thinner, Alucard might have heard Jaskier approach. If the crowds were thinner, he would have absolutely picked out the pace of the bard's gait against others in the hall. But such as it is, Alucard turns around in order to get ready to leave and there is a whole bard standing right there.

Asking....a fair question, if Alucard was forced to admit it. The first attempt at making pierogi in the Horizon were not quite on the mark, and he will admit that regularly. If the reason for it will stand though, that is about to be found out.]

As I was shaping them, I realized they resembled some of the creatures in a particular painting in the Hall of Natural Relics. I simply got carried away when I made one and added the legs. [He only did it for one round, at any rate!] You'll note my style and crimped edges improved dramatically with the cabbage-thyme-caraway-and-mushroom batch.

[cointosser]

[The least he could do is look contrite! Totally unashamed is the dhampir. However, to Alucard's credit, he already suspected there is no explanation beyond "it looked funny," which in some ways is sound enough.

His brows raise into his hairline.] You based the shape off... off a painting?

[Just when he thinks he can figure at least part of Alucard out, he does. This. (It's oddly... funny. For him.

Could Jaskier truly imagine Alucard is getting a little less depressed? By an inch?)]

Dramatically. Well, yes, I'll agree to that. [He shoots him a smile.] And as far as Horizon cuisine goes, delectable. And yes, I stole one. Geralt needn't know.

[cryptsleeper]

Yes?

[Alucard's head tilt isn't meant to look wolf like, but it is. Moreover, the bafflement on his face is genuine. What part of him ever gave off the impression he didn't have an abiding interest in the arts? Or sciences for that matter? Jaskier has just never seen him in any of the museums here.

(Do not jinx depression decreases, Jaskier. Do not.)]

I'll do a second shaped batch at this rate. [For spite. Delicious spite.] Thank you. I'm glad that they met with approval, small stubby legs aside.

earth stood hard as iron

[falcony]

[ it feels a bit like everything between this moment and the previous festival has run by in a blur. sam knows he hasn't been as good as he should have been - and he certainly hasn't been going out and checking in on the rest of those in cadens. he's kept up with his work, made sure to do what he needed to build back in the savings alina had taken with her, and stressed. worried. wrung his proverbial hands and panicked about what has been happening and has done almost everything he could just to keep his head up.

honestly, sam finds himself feeling grateful when the new festival rolls around. it has a lot to do with the fact that geralt has returned, a lot to do with the fact he feels a bit more like things can get settled back under his feet, and where a hole still sits for those missing, sam finds he can get back out onto the streets again.

which is how he finds himself at the cemetery (you can thank jaskier for this tidbit, alucard. he's the one who pointed sam in this direction) - a very small cask of soup between his hands. he hasn't quite spoken to alucard since their collaborative decision to focus on their own stresses, which also means he's not 100% sure what he's walking into, either. but he's here, and he's not leaving until they at least have a little time to catch up. ]

Alucard? [ sam has not seen the wolf, yet, so he calls out to the cemetery. ] Gonna feel real stupid if you're not even here!

[cryptsleeper]

[It hasn't been the best day for dealing with the graveyard. Alucard's attempt to finally get a headstone upright again had ended with it falling again and undoing his careful work, plus adding a few new cracks. The failure and additional damage was enough to sour the rest of the day, and if Alucard had learned anything at all over the past few months, it was when to just walk away from something for the day.

It also means that Sam's better off looking for a wolf rather than a person. (Jaskier did warn him about that part, right?) In this case, a wolf that has decided to just sort of lay out next to a headstone that suffered no damage in the first place, looking more like a sad wolf in a breakfast nook, displaying very un-wolf like behavior.

Like being lazy. Because one white, fluffy ears twitch and acknowledge that there's a familiar voice calling out, the most Sam gets is an impertinent whine, translating roughly to no, I don't want to be a person right now.]

[falcony]

[ thankfully, yes, jaskier did warn him about that part. though as sam continues to wander through the graveyard, he is beginning to second-guess just how much jaskier actually said. because yeah, the warning of go look for the wolf if you can't find him is just vague enough to not actually be helpful. like. at all.

except up until the moment it is - because sam turns a corner and there is suddenly a very sad wolf and an impatient wine. at first, sam's not even sure what he's seeing. but after a while he will end up approaching said very lazy wolf with only a partially confused look on his face.

wolf. right. he was warned. and sam only needs a moment to pull it back together - because this might as well, you know? ]

Rough day?

[cryptsleeper]

[The wolf's response is to nod twice (to prove that there's a human intelligence there, don't worry Sam, it isn't a random wolf). Then to streeeeeeeeeeetch out his back and front legs at the same time.

What he does not do is roll over or get to his feet. All he does is meet Sam's eyes, then tilt his head slightly.

Yes?]

Closed to Sypha

[cryptsleeper]

[The cactus, as it turns out, is not as obvious as Alucard implied it was. To get there requires going through the entire graveyard, and only then does it make itself known, once one rounds the corner of a particular statue. (It has been repaired recently, showing a figure in thought rather than mourning, gender impossible to determine.) It is a winding path, made prettier in the daylight thanks to Jaskier at any rate, and colorful for that as well.

An oddity, but not in a bad way. Gravestones stand, repaired, or else their constituent parts are laid down atop canvases, ready to be put into place when the keeper has time to do it. Such as it is, said keeper has caught a particular scent in the air, and is making a point to hide in the cactus.

Just for spite. Because it is big enough, thank you, Sypha.]

[speak_n_spell]

[Exploring the graveyard is hardly a chore! One can learn a lot about a people by how they inter their dead. Sypha takes her time reading epitaphs and running her fingers over eroded symbols. How interesting, that the burial traditions here mirror those of the Church back home. Do the people in Thorne or Solvunn do differently?

The desert sun blasts this patch of ground as intensely as any other, baking the stone under her hands. She removes her straw hat to fan herself as she searches for a large cactus. The bridge of her nose and cheekbones are already burnt red, she might as well put the thing to better use.

She's zero percent surprised to find the largest plant hidden away towards the back of the cemetery. That feels right, for Alucard. Sypha plonks her hat back on her head and her hands on her hips, studying the cactus' silhouette.]

I think your home may have some sort of venereal disease, [she says, because she saw clear pawprints in the sandy soil, she knows he's been through her quite recently.] It's lumpy in some alarming places.

[cryptsleeper]

[At first, there's just a white barrier in the hollow of the cactus. Fluffy, but seemingly unmoving. And--

--Rude!

A little nose pokes out next, followed by a wolf's face. The dhampir was serious when he spoke of how roomy the thing was, and he emerges from the hollow looking unbothered. There is a huff fom the wolf, and then with just a little step, a huff from Alucard.]

Send all complaints to the gardener.

[speak_n_spell]

Oh, I will! Our paths crossed recently, so I thought I'd come see his handiwork.

[Sypha ducks down to peek into the hollow, once Alucard's fully emerged to scowl in the sunshine. It's wolf-sized, but can a grown man sit up, or stand, inside?]

Castiel | Supernatural | The Hanged Man

[unwings]

Aleksander’s Rod; cw: pain for science, dumb euphemisms

[ A consequence of being created with the express purpose of following orders is that it becomes very difficult to kick the habit. When Aleksander G. Klingel, the Free Cities beloved man of science, offers Castiel his Science Rod, with the request he hold it for some minutes, it’s already closed in his hand before Cas asks Why?

Holiday Experiment, apparently, which doesn’t clarify anything, but this rod touching’s already kicked off, so why not?

The first minute or so’s alright, an annoying tingling sensation, but nothing unbearable. Then, the pain kicks in. As if the stick’s gradually scorching the palm of his hand, and Cas furrows his brows down at the offending object. Aleksander offered monetary compensation in trade, and this is far from the worst the angel’s endured. Still housed in the barracks and lacking for gainful employment, payment for gripping some dude's pole is an alluring prize.

And Castiel's a stubborn little fuck.

That’s how Cas ends up standing dumbly in the festival square, a dubious frown aimed at Aleksander’s experimental shaft clasped in his hand, with a growing crowd of intrigued onlookers surrounding him. His expression remains schooled up through six minutes. As the pain ramps up, his eyes close, face a mask of intense focus, head occasionally twisting to the side like working out tension in his neck. When asked if he’s hurting, Castiel’s quick to give a curt “I’m fine” and returns to his silent concentration.

Ten minutes, and it's like his entire hand is on actual fire. Cas shifts his weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting, grip closing tighter around the rod, clearly determined to see this to completion. Twelve minutes, he's rigid with the intense effort to keep control, and his eyes open to stare Aleksander down, as if considering relocating the baton to the scientist’s face. Fourteen, and the gathered crowd watches the twitching muscles in Castiel’s clenched jaw, sweat at his temple.

Just past fifteen minutes, Castiel's had enough. He allows his tether of control to snap with a rough shout, and finally releases Aleksander’s stupid rod, the metallic clatter against cobblestone drown out by cheers of the crowd entertained by the Holiday Experiment. Clutching his hand protectively to his chest, Cas addresses either the scientist or the larger community around him. ]

I don’t understand what was festive about that.

Mind over Magic;

That’s inaccurate.

[ Cas announces to no one in particular after hearing Prime Minister Marlo’s speech. Some pieces of the rhetoric he perhaps took too literally are nagging at him, leaving a bad taste in his mouth. ]

The Internet, nuclear power, the Large Hadron Collider - though society functions efficiently without magic in the digital future, none of these surpass its potential in power.

[ human ingenuity has an incredible potential, it’s true, but Cas finds it pretty irresponsible to claim it can overpower something it can’t. There’s no device that could’ve stopped Lucifer’s rising or dispersed a curse without application of corrective magic or following the curse’s demands. Learning how to work around the rules of it is one thing, but there’s no over-engineering a magic-based problem. Not to say the Free Cities citizens shouldn’t strive towards industrial revolution, it is to their benefit to eliminate the dependence on magic for daily life, but believing the mind alone can nullify its effects is a dangerous road towards failure. ]

Wildcard;

[ hit me ]