Special Announcement

[lonelysmiles]

Sender: Alastor
To: Everyone
Subject: Special Announcement

Hard to believe that at the end of this month, it will have been two years since this little dream world started pulling us all into it. Quite a marvel, isn't it? I certainly hadn't expected it to last this long!

Now I'd hoped to have a little surprise I'd had planned for Reverein finished by our two-year anniversary, but our rather rude guest a few months ago pushed back several plans!

Back in Hell, I was often-times referred to as "The Radio Demon" due to my powers over the radiowaves. I've been working with Miss Madhuri and her charming husband on perfecting a means of producing radios here in Reverein, but I ask you this: What fun is there in a radio with only one channel? None, that's what!

I've been working with some of the people at the Observatory to develop the technology for others to broadcast without having to rely solely on my powers, and we're ready to begin construction on a brand-new radio station specially designed for Reverein! One of the advantages to a world of magic and imagination: No need to make a radio tower look like hideous scaffolding! Absolutely delightful! Perhaps someday more towers will be built to connect us to Dragon Island or even places farther afield!

The project should be finished next month, so there's plenty of time to get your hands on a radio of your own to hear the inaugural broadcast!

Stay tuned!
~Alastor

Comments

Sender: Toph (Audio)

[toph_luck]

Uh... yeah, hi. Obvious question here but, What's a radio?

[ There's a pause, then she adds in pre-emptively. ]

And don't send me a picture.

[lonelysmiles]

[Oh, that is an intriguing trick. He's going to try focusing on making his words audible as he writes.]

As if an illustration could get across the wonders of the radio! No, my dear, radio is a communications medium that is purely auditory, allowing listeners to listen to all manner of news and entertainment from quite a distance from its source! Even better, with the news in particular there's none of that corruption of a message passing verbally from mouth to mouth!

Think of it like a much more accessible version of the little trick you just did with the journal but being able to access anything you'd be interested in hearing with a turn of a dial!

[Alastor has no idea you're blind, Toph. Just that you might have an interest in his personal passion: audio-only broadcasting.]

[toph_luck]

I'm sure it wouldn't.

[ Hah, look, as long as she finds herself funny? That's good enough. It's only a shame the eccentricities of his voice are lost in text... along with much of the tone of the writing as it's read back to her in a poor Microsoft Sam-esque voice. ]

Can we talk back? And how far away are you talking here? My hearings pretty good already.

[lonelysmiles]

Miles and miles away, my dear. The radio tower I'll be building will allow you to hear a broadcast from a little beyond one side of the current size of Reverein to a little beyond the other! Adding additional towers would expand that reach even farther out!

As for talking back, it is possible. Most people owned radios that only received audio but there were plenty that could send messages to each other. Of course, I'm a unique case: all that radio equipment is built in for me! Ha ha! But if I was within range, it'd be possible to contact me by placing your hand even on a receiving-only radio and speak my name. It's like talking directly in my ear!

[toph_luck]

Sounds like an easy way to get bothered by people.

But I might listen in, if I'm in range. So long as you're not too boring. [ Nice, mature, nailed it. ] Towers are kindof my thing, so... If you need a hand with that, I'll only ask a favour back later.

[lonelysmiles]

One would think, but back in Hell nobody wants to draw my attention to them unless they have no other choice.

I'd be quite pleased if you did for both cases! Radio has been my passion since long before I died, and being able to introduce it to this dream world is such a treat! People are already expressing interest in attempting to perform themselves on the radio so you'd have quite a selection to choose from!

How about we meet and talk this over in person? You could show me how you manage this audio trick with the journals and get a taste for if you'll find me entertaining enough to listen to for staters.

[toph_luck]

[ Yeah sure, go meet some random adult you spoke to online this is fine. ]

Died? You know what, I'll ask later.

Uhhhhh. I tend to walk around. Have you got a house somewhere or.... I can just throw up something obvious for you to find.

[lonelysmiles]

[If it makes you feel better, Alastor doesn't have a lustful bone in his body nor does he have any idea how sketchy the situation sounds.]

I share a treehouse on the edge of town in the Residential District, but I find people are more comfortable meeting me somewhere public first.

[If this were Hell, he'd have some idea why given his reputation. Again, not a lustful bone in his body so he doesn't realize that's a concern for normal people.]

Wherever you'd like to meet is fine with me, my dear!

[toph_luck]

Uhh... Come find the tower. You'll know the one.

[ And sure enough, shortly after that message is sent, there's a faint rumbling in the ground. If he steps outside in the distance, just outside Reverin and standing out of place, a giant stone tower, high above the treetops and all seemingly solid rock.

And a tiny figure standing atop it on the edge. ]

[lonelysmiles]

I do believe I do! I shall see you shortly!

[Alastor makes a few teleportation hops to get there as quickly as possible. (Sadly, his range has been limited among other powers by Reverein. A small price to pay, honestly, given everything he's received here.) He looks up at the stone tower before reaching out to knock on the side.]

[Solid rock. Interesting.]

Hello, my dear! Quite an impressive structure you've built!

[Toph would know precisely where he is not simply by his voice but there's always a static buzz surrounding him. Not always audible but she would likely feel the vibrations.]

[toph_luck]

((OOC lemme know if you want Alastor to 'feel' a bit blurry and hard to get a distinct vibe from cause of his static. Like his form is radio static'd to Toph's senses. ))

Huh-

[ As if on cue, he's there, way faster than she first thought! Her voice calls out from above, a bit louder so it's easy to hear. ]

Hold still!

[ Ominous. At least until the surface of rock around him breaks free from the ground, shooting up the stone tower's side like a little elevator platform, grinding stone to stone and leaving a platform shaped dent in the ground.

Give it a moment, and he'll reach the top to find... A young girl, grinning like she owns the place, hands resting on hips and looking just a little smug. ]

Nice of you to make it.

[lonelysmiles]

((OOC: That works!))

[Alastor has to pinwheel his arms as his balance is momentarily upset, but he catches himself quickly enough. By the time he's on her level, he's standing with his hands neatly folded behind his back.]

Very impressive, my dear! And it's hardly polite to keep a lady waiting.

[He reaches out to take her hand in one clawed hand of his own and bows over it.]

Alastor! Pleasure to meet you, sweetheart! Quite a pleasure!

[toph_luck]

[ Touch, gross. Her hand draws back pretty quickly, resting on her hips without a second thought. ]

Yeah, nice to meet you too. Kindof.

You're a bit... Hard to make out, you know. Some weird power of yours? Sounds weird too.

[ Having never encountered static before... it's a pretty foreign sensation. ]

Blurry?

[lonelysmiles]

[Fellow person who avoids touch here...unless he initiates it. He's an asshole like that.]

[He tilts his head curiously at her, trying to figure out what's wrong. He opens his mouth to ask when a memory from when he was alive and encountered a blind man pops into his head.]

[Ah, that could be it. Demons have a wide variety of eye colors that honestly have little or nothing to do with their eyesight.]

One moment, my dear. Let me see if I can fix that.

[He begins to focus on his ambient static, turning it down as low as he possibly can. It won't go away entirely, but typically he kept it somewhere in a volume range that didn't bother most people. However, this young lady's hearing is quite a bit stronger than average and for good reason.]

I'm afraid that's the best I can do. Any better?

[toph_luck]

A little... Usually I can get a better sense for people. But it's better than before.

[ The way she never really looks at him is telling, more peering through, past, and at a slight angle. Why turn to face someone when you can't see them. ]

So this radio thing. Something from your world? What kind of towers do you need for it?

[lonelysmiles]

It's probably due to your hearing being so exceptional. Normally my natural ambient static doesn't bother people too much, but their hearing isn't nearly as good as yours must be!

Actually, there was talk of using radio waves to track metallic objects back when I was alive. Like how a bat uses sound to track everything around it as it flies in the dark.

[He snaps his fingers.]

I suppose for lack of a name, I shall call you "Little Bat" for the time being! Yes, I quite like the ring of that!

[He folds his hands behind his back.]

Radio isn't unique to my world. It's a piece of technology that's been developed across many different ones. I'd be quite surprised if your own world didn't develop it sooner or later!

As far as towers go, I must say these are quite impressive! Very sturdy! [He stomps on the tower he's standing on, but it sounds like a hoof pawing the earth.] Unfortunately, stone is more likely to dampen the signal than amplify it. Metal is more ideal. However, I do greatly appreciate your offer of assistance and your rather incredible talent! I dare say I haven't seen anything like it in quite some time, Little Bat!

[toph_luck]

Little bat?... I'm pretty big compared to most bats. Unless you're talking about bat-boars. Or Rhinocer-bats?

The more I talk to people here the more it feels like where I came from didn't have any of this fancy technology! The fire nation was the first to really start inventing things like that.

[ Her arms lift up, hands out, palms up. Then they twist down with a sweep of her feet and a drop into a squat-like stance. The whole pillar drops, bringing them back to ground level with a heavy shifting of stone.

And then there's Toph with her smug little grin. ]

I can do metal too.

[lonelysmiles]

Never heard of those!

In any case, technology is typically only developed when a need develops for it. After all, if everyone can teleport at will, why bother taking the time to create the wheel? Some of the technology from my world might be because of a need that something in your world already solved.

[An ear flicks at that last part.]

Very curious! Can you shape it, too? The structure that's going to be built is more than just a solid block of metal, but your talents would be most helpful if you could do that!

[True, she's blind, but she clearly has some way of gauging what she's manipulating. How else would she be able to not just raise them up but lower them back to ground level without issues? In fact, her way might be much more precise by not relying solely on sight.]

[toph_luck]

Creatures from my world. Apparently you guys don't do the whole... multiple animals thing. It's all just "bears" and "wolfs". Weird.

[ Her brow raises, can she shape it? She snorts out a laugh. ]

Shaping is most of what I do. It's called bending, not making. As long as it's nearby I can do what I want with it, see?

[ As if on cue her bracelet unwraps from her wrist, hovering in the air between her hands and twisting shape, contorting and spiralling as if it was liquid. All before being shaped back into a bracelet. ]

[lonelysmiles]

Absolutely fascinating!

[He leans in close to watch, the tips of his ears brushing her chin as he does so.]

And this shaping -- excuse me, bending -- is how you made the rock pillar? You basically pushed the earth beneath our feet upwards and pushed it back down when you were finished?

[toph_luck]

[ She leans back just as much. Hey, not so close! ]

Something like that. Yeah. I'm pretty good at it. The best actually! I can use it to feel what's around me, so it's how I get around.

[lonelysmiles]

I would imagine that you would be far better than most at such an ability! Why, I can only imagine control like that over air would've made it impossible to escape you! You must've been unstoppable at Hide and Seek!

[His ears twitch with excitement.]

A moment if you will! I'd like to test something! Close your eyes!

[He doesn't even stop and consider that closing her eyes would do absolute nothing in this case, but it's clearly not an insult: He sounds like a kid who found an interesting new playmate. Besides, with an ability like Earthbending, she would've been able to manage much easier than the blind in his own world and time period.]

[He runs a few steps before leaping from spot to spot. Then he stops, instead "continuing" on using bursts of sound at various points.]

[Then he waits, grin wide with excitement. Had she been able to track him via sound and the earth alone?]

[toph_luck]

Consider them closed.

[ They are not, in fact, closed. It's all the same really, isn't it? She's not quite sure what he's trying to test. Moving around from place to place, prancing like a ballarina while she stands there, hands on her hips with a confused grin.

The funny thing is, she didn't face him directly when speaking to BEGIN with, so she doesn't even turn once he's done. ]

So... what were you trying to test? You just stood in a different spot.

[ Her foot twists, and the ground beneath him slides to bring the strange demon right back to standing in front of her, like a piece along a chess board. ]

[lonelysmiles]

I was trying to see if you were tracking purely by sound or the feel of motion on the ground. Which would certainly explain the bare feet.

[He grins.]

Given you weren't fooled by me projecting the sound of jumping to other places, you were using the Earth to judge where I'd gone, weren't you? Fascinating!

[toph_luck]

I use all my senses. Just some are more useful than others sometimes.

[ Her hand lifts with a sharp motion, and a lithe human-like figure made of stone forms from the ground. Vague, kindof like a doll. It doesn't have any real fixtures, just thin and about as tall as Alastor. Blurred out. ]

That's what you look like, to me.