[open] january/february catchall

[techmaturgy]

Who: Viktor and special guests and YOU
When: January through early February
Where: Cadens, the Horizon
What: open stuff, closed stuff, dangerous and illicit magical surgery, the usual
Warnings: the usual references to terminal illness including a steep decline and medical procedures/surgery. will list additional warnings as needed.

[open and closed starters in comments! This is also a general catch-all for Viktor’s do-or-die attempt to cure himself, and the events leading up to it, and his recovery (to come later). If you want a custom starter or something specific, just hit me up. full horizon details are here for any and all wildcarding needs. For everything else, I’m on plurk at whitticus and on discord at whitticus#8139.]

Comments

[assembles]

[ Does that mean, to some extent, that Viktor will be performing his own surgery? Steve's frown deepens at the thought, but he knows that if nothing else, Jayce and Tony will be present.

Besides, he can't give advice on that in particular, but there is a reason he asked. He squares his shoulders and crosses his arms over his chest, sizing Viktor up for a moment. He can almost see that the pain is now weighing him down, pressing into his bones, but the fight hasn't left him yet. There's still that driven, unconquerable look in his eye. ]

I don't know all the details, but... chances are it's gonna be painful, right? It's gonna hurt like hell. [ This is the part no one wants to acknowledge or talk about, but Steve's been there. ] There may be moments when you want to just stop, when you're screaming so much that everyone else around you wants to stop too. Just... find some way to push through it. If that means mentally going somewhere else, or picking a thought or image to focus on until it's over, you just have to hold on.

[ That small speech, if it could be called that, is delivered with the intensity of someone who's speaking from experience. He clears his throat when he's done, then steps forward to grip Viktor's shoulder, tilting his head down to meet his gaze. ]

You've got this. All right?

[techmaturgy]

[If Viktor had to sit and think about how many personal motivational speeches he’s recieved in his life, he’d probably be able to count them on one hand. As such, he doesn’t really understand what Steve is trying to do until about halfway through. Even then, Viktor reads between the lines. Outright asking about the procedure that enhanced his physiology to such a degree seems far too personal, but he can tell that the things Steve is saying are things he’s experienced. He’s giving Viktor advice in the way that he knows how.]

I’m not afraid of pain.

[He’s been living with it for much of his life. Viktor is much more frightened of failure than anything he might have to withstand during the procedure. The touch to his shoulder surprises him a little, though he doesn’t move away or otherwise reject it. Awkward as this is, he can understand and appreciate the sentiment.]

Thank you, Steve. We’ll be in touch after.