Ren Suzugamori (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thedarkbond) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
nysalogs2018-12-13 11:45 am
thedarkbond) wrote in nysalogs2018-12-13 11:45 am
[closed] we took the long way around to the future we pursued
Who: Ren Suzugamori (thedarkbond) & people he ended up inviting (so Juno Steel (stuns), Mollymauk Tealeaf (mollymocked), Iskandar (conqueredhearts), Yusei Fudo (planetary_bonds), Allura (quintessent), Diana Cavendish (fiendennor), and Axel (icingonthecake))
What:not another birthday log Ren's 23rd birthday party, a.k.a. a study in cramming eight people into a tiny apartment (mostly).
When: December 12th
Where: Ren's tiny apartment in western Wyver, and then some of the Fyrran-Blessed Waters further out west.
Warning(s): Nudity b/c public baths, but nothing yet otherwise.
[About a week and a half ago, Ren sent out some texts to people he actually knows decently enough here to invite to a party - he eventually caved on his own intent and did actually tell everyone that he was inviting them to dinner for his birthday, but it came with the caveat of only having to bring a present if you wanted to. There's even a bonus shrugging kaomoji there to accentuate exactly how much he doesn't mind.
It's a little obvious once anyone gets there that Ren had to be a bit...specific about the logistics, though, because even eight total people in an apartment this small is going to be an interesting prospect. It's single room and puny, with even the bed lying on a heightened loft since there'd be no room for it on the main floor, with the kitchen beneath the loft and the rest of the room mostly taken up by a couch, a cupboard and some drawers, and a line of shelves that sticks out of the windowsill, a small brown cat lying on the cushioned top of these. There's a table dragged out slightly into the middle of the room with plenty of food all over it ranging from cute sweets like donuts, cookies and dorayaki (many with cat designs or icing), to...more cute sweets, to some actual proper food in-between all that, including sausages cut to look like octopi, some kind of rich soup in a very large self-serve bowl with lots of meat pieces in it (that Ren probably won't mention is tripe unless he's asked, because he doesn't think that's important as long as it tastes nice), and lots of takoyaki. He's playing to his favourites here, really, but it's all made well and it even looks like Ren might be a little tired from making it all (all rumours that he's tired from having fallen asleep in the stasis room the previous night are entirely fabricated). He doesn't have a singular cake, but instead a plate of cute cupcakes of kittens playing with yarn. Each one has a different fruit center, so feel free to trade them around to find out what they all are!
Though, honestly, you're going to be sharing at least one thing anyway, because nobody is getting any personal space around this table. You're going to be pretty much literally rubbing shoulders with the person next to you for the entire dinner segment, so enjoy that.
Thankfully, at least Ren realises that's not really viable for the entire night, so after dinner, anyone who's happy to depart then can leave, and anyone who enjoys a good public bath can follow Ren out further west, down a lengthy and winding path that it looks like Ren himself might not even remember the way down at points (though the fact that there's occasional salespeople offering towels and bath salts and the like is probably a good sign he's still going the right way). What lies at the end of it is a large, but secluded natural spring, water running gently into it from a second spring that lies slightly higher up. It's pleasantly warm despite the cold weather out, and once anyone sinks into the waters, they may find themselves even more relaxed than usual. It's a lovely night, the pool is surrounded by flowers and the occasional overhanging tree, and there's the pleasant buzz that comes after good food and probably some amount of alcohol.
Anyone who can't make their way back to their own home or prefers not to find an inn afterwards is welcome to stay overnight back at the apartment, but the main sleeping options are either the couch, on the floor with all the cushions, or sharing with Ren in the loft, which is not terribly roomy.]
thedarkbond) & people he ended up inviting (so Juno Steel (stuns), Mollymauk Tealeaf (mollymocked), Iskandar (conqueredhearts), Yusei Fudo (planetary_bonds), Allura (quintessent), Diana Cavendish (fiendennor), and Axel (icingonthecake)) What:
When: December 12th
Where: Ren's tiny apartment in western Wyver, and then some of the Fyrran-Blessed Waters further out west.
Warning(s): Nudity b/c public baths, but nothing yet otherwise.
[About a week and a half ago, Ren sent out some texts to people he actually knows decently enough here to invite to a party - he eventually caved on his own intent and did actually tell everyone that he was inviting them to dinner for his birthday, but it came with the caveat of only having to bring a present if you wanted to. There's even a bonus shrugging kaomoji there to accentuate exactly how much he doesn't mind.
It's a little obvious once anyone gets there that Ren had to be a bit...specific about the logistics, though, because even eight total people in an apartment this small is going to be an interesting prospect. It's single room and puny, with even the bed lying on a heightened loft since there'd be no room for it on the main floor, with the kitchen beneath the loft and the rest of the room mostly taken up by a couch, a cupboard and some drawers, and a line of shelves that sticks out of the windowsill, a small brown cat lying on the cushioned top of these. There's a table dragged out slightly into the middle of the room with plenty of food all over it ranging from cute sweets like donuts, cookies and dorayaki (many with cat designs or icing), to...more cute sweets, to some actual proper food in-between all that, including sausages cut to look like octopi, some kind of rich soup in a very large self-serve bowl with lots of meat pieces in it (that Ren probably won't mention is tripe unless he's asked, because he doesn't think that's important as long as it tastes nice), and lots of takoyaki. He's playing to his favourites here, really, but it's all made well and it even looks like Ren might be a little tired from making it all (all rumours that he's tired from having fallen asleep in the stasis room the previous night are entirely fabricated). He doesn't have a singular cake, but instead a plate of cute cupcakes of kittens playing with yarn. Each one has a different fruit center, so feel free to trade them around to find out what they all are!
Though, honestly, you're going to be sharing at least one thing anyway, because nobody is getting any personal space around this table. You're going to be pretty much literally rubbing shoulders with the person next to you for the entire dinner segment, so enjoy that.
Thankfully, at least Ren realises that's not really viable for the entire night, so after dinner, anyone who's happy to depart then can leave, and anyone who enjoys a good public bath can follow Ren out further west, down a lengthy and winding path that it looks like Ren himself might not even remember the way down at points (though the fact that there's occasional salespeople offering towels and bath salts and the like is probably a good sign he's still going the right way). What lies at the end of it is a large, but secluded natural spring, water running gently into it from a second spring that lies slightly higher up. It's pleasantly warm despite the cold weather out, and once anyone sinks into the waters, they may find themselves even more relaxed than usual. It's a lovely night, the pool is surrounded by flowers and the occasional overhanging tree, and there's the pleasant buzz that comes after good food and probably some amount of alcohol.
Anyone who can't make their way back to their own home or prefers not to find an inn afterwards is welcome to stay overnight back at the apartment, but the main sleeping options are either the couch, on the floor with all the cushions, or sharing with Ren in the loft, which is not terribly roomy.]
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It's a star chart. [He holds it out towards Molly, flat on his palm - the display is a hologram, but it almost looks like something magical, the little circle projected in light with various silver points dotted across it, some of them connected in the shapes of constellations.] I got it for helping Nurray-san with something a little while ago. I was wondering if it updated itself, since Nadril technology is pretty impressive, so I've been watching it every night for a bit to see if it had changed to match the sky.
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No, that's not true. He understands the ideas of stars and constellations and the importance therein. When you do a lot of camping, all you do is pay attention to the stars... But that's next level. It's no wonder Caleb stays buried in things so often.]
This place is so much more complicated than Exandria. If someone built something like that, something that could move with the stars... They'd be richer than a king, and they certainly wouldn't be able to give palm sized ones out as payment for services rendered.
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He straightens his back a little, humming thoughtfully.] Earth in my time was pretty far ahead compared to most of the technology this place uses...we powered stuff with electricity too, but the stuff we had to power with it was more sophisticated, and anything steam powered was mostly just antiques that still worked and stuff. Nadril is kind of ahead in some ways, but behind in others and the same in some other ways too. I could show you some of the pictures I have of home on my phone if I'm doing a bad job of describing it...I know they give us one here but I've just been using mine since it came here with me...
[He gestures vaguely over to where he put his clothes with his free hand, because obviously he hasn't been bathing with his phone on him.]
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[Sometimes he tries if he thinks it might be useful or potentially kill him, but mostly he's in the "oh shit that's nifty" giggly teenager category of new experience.] I killed an automaton once. That is the most extreme thing that new forward-thinking tinkering has given me.
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[It was a weird security system and had failed hilariously when faced with actual human armed forces.]
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[He holds out his arm proudly where some of his excess of scars are a little longer and more jagged.] Had to stick my whole fucking hand in to get at the core, but gods was it worth it to see that thing finally break.
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He runs his fingers a little bit over the scars, trying to imagine that part a little too.] It's a shame about that part...but that sounds really cool, honestly. A lot of the people we fought in my world were kind of trite and boring about their scheming, and those are the ones who were trying to be bad... [Or, more accurately, Ren always thought they were trite and boring because clearly he did the villain thing much better than all of them.
He stands up, finally, holding the little star chart between both palms as he props his chin up on his fingers thoughtfully.] I don't think I have any pictures of the dumb robots to show you, but I should be able to show you some way more interesting things we had in my world.
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Molly pulls himself entirely out of the water, so he can properly look at whatever Ren has that he can see other worlds with. Yep, everyone gets to see all of that, though to be fair a couple of people present have, and Molly doesn't care. Friendly nudity, y'all. It's what you came here for.]
I find that people that don't they're trying to be awful are the ones that end up doing the worst. You get a few who realize they fucked up and try and fix it, but then you get the ones who don't care. [a beat, and then with a lowered, uncertain voice, like he expected something to happen before now:] How're you gonna show me things from your world? Are they just on your person somewhere?
[He looks back at where they've left their clothing. That seems deeply unlikely.
....He's so stupid sometimes.]
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Mmm, someone has to do it, right...? [Ren huffs a little exaggeratedly about that. He has way too many friends who like to go off and do dangerous things with complete disregard for their own safety, so obviously he has to be the responsible one. Who also occasionally goes off and does dangerous things with complete disregard for his own safety, but those are special cases and he doesn't pretend they're not selfishly inclined.
While he hums in agreement on Molly's summary on villains - because honestly, not caring seems to be the order of the day of a lot of the ones in his world - he has to interrupt his train of thought with a polite little laugh at Molly's question as he crouches down over his clothes and tucks the star chart back into a pocket.]
I said pictures, right? [He pulls his phone out of another pocket and tilts it back and forth so Molly can see what it is.] These aren't just for sending messages, you know. And this is my phone from home, so I have a ton of pictures on it.
[It...honestly looks pretty similar to the phones the Natha provide people, though there are only so many ways you can design a smartphone after a certain point of development has been reached.]
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He leans in a bit closer so he's putting his chin on Ren's shoulder as much as he can without stabbing him in the ear or the neck with his horn tips.]
We don't... have anything like this in Exandria. I barely understand the one I've got. People talk to me through them and I'm still thinking it's a very elaborate sending stone, because thinking anything else is a lot.
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Well, we don't have sending stones in my world, but the network here might be magical, I think...they definitely don't have the stuff you usually need to make phones connect to each other around here.
[He gets to his photos, and there is definitely a number in the several...probably thousands, honestly, at the top of his photo gallery. There's definitely some recent ones from Nysa in the little thumbnails as he starts to scroll down (a lot of scenery from mapping for Nadril, interspersed with close up flower or cute animal pictures because Ren gets distracted very easily).]
These kinds of pictures are called photos. You point this at something-- [He turns his phone around momentarily to point out the small lens on the back.] --and it copies exactly what's in front of it when you press a button. Like this.
[He feels like a better initial example for Molly might be something he's familiar with, so the picture he opens is one from Nysa. Specifically, a picture of Juno with his shoulders hunched right up like he does when he's embarrassed, ears a bit pink and averting his eyes from what's presumably the vicinity of Ren's face. From the surroundings and the drink visible on the bar at the side of the photo, the scene may be discernible as during the harvest festival.]
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And it's just there. Forever. Single moments just immortalized like that. [He snaps his finger and laughs, wheezy and excitable.] That's brilliant. Look at that. It really captures Juno's essence.
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[Figures of speech and all. Now that he feels he's gotten the concept across, though, he closes that picture and keeps flicking through them until he starts to hit images that are definitely not of Nysa. After a little humming over which one to pick, he eventually opens up a picture of a nighttime skyline, viewed from the top of what's obviously an extremely tall structure. It's...a lot of buildings and lights, even by the standards an Earth city and especially by the standards of a fantasy setting's cities.]
Oh, this is a picture of part of my city...I think I took it from the top of the United Sanctuary building, it looks like the right place... [Foo Fighter HQ is in another part of Tokyo entirely, so it's definitely not from there.] The cities here all seem pretty small in comparison, actually.
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A picture doesn't quite paint the same astonishment that seeing it for real would, because it's something that could have easily just been imagined and painted, but that isn't quite right, either, because not even the most imaginative craftsman in all of Exandria could come up with a view like that.]
I'll say. [He's still wide-eyed and gaping.] Why do you need that many towers in one place?
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Mostly for people to live in. My country is pretty small if you're talking about how much land it is, but it has...hmm...a hundred and twenty five million people, I think? Or a bit more than that. So most of them live in apartments, because there's not much room for houses. That's what these are.
[He indicates some of the taller buildings with a lot of lights on.] It's like an inn or a hotel, where there's lots of rooms on each level and everyone has their own, and also some are small and some are really big and fancy. Some of these probably are hotels, actually...
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Fuck.]
I can't even conceive of that many people. [There probably aren't that many people in all of Wildemount, and even if there were, they're all spread out. Zadash was bustling with people but it was in the hundreds. Caleb and Yasha would fucking die in a place like that. Hell, even he's a little overwhelmed by the concept.
He's really showing his true age with all this wonder.] And I've seen places with lots of people, but that's in the hundreds- maybe the thousands. But millions? What is that like?
[He's legitimately curious and also a little shook. No wonder Ren's so concerned of presentation. Anyone might be if they have that many people near their throat at all times.]
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I guess I never really thought about it? I'm used to it...and I've owned a company and done stuff in front of a national audience since I was pretty young, so even that's normal to me now. Even things on a global level, and there's billions of people who lived on my planet. [Vanguard had carried him to some considerable heights when he was younger, and he still has international connections through his business to this day.] But it's definitely really busy compared to this, and a little bit congested, I guess? It can sometimes be hard to find peace and quiet if you want it. I think some people might feel like they're lost in the crowd or overlooked because of how many other people there are to deal with, but that was never really a problem for me, since I made a name for myself early on.
[It's definitely part of why he's so conscious about public appearances, though. In a world like that, a bad enough mess-up can destroy reputations on a wide scale, and Ren was never willing enough to risk bringing that down on the people who worked with and for him to expose too much of his less savoury sides in public. Outside of Vanguard matches, where it was somewhat more acceptable, and even then he wasn't usually televised at his worst (usually. There's definitely some exceptions there).]
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If you make a name for yourself in Wildemount, you're either useful or dangerous and both are terrible things to be in the Empire. And if you have power... You can be however you want to be, because, barring a few exceptions, you're gonna get away with it. That's how small things are there. And if the shit people are letting you see how shit they are, then why would anyone care how they might come off. It doesn't matter.
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It's a lot harder to get away with that sort of stuff in my world, but definitely not impossible. Things that happen in one place can be spread to the whole world really quickly, and it's hard to do something bad and leave no trace of it one way or another. If it's not illegal then it's up to the public how they react, but because of how easily things can spread to so many people, they can tear apart someone's reputation if it's something they think is bad enough.
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[Up to and including the world trying to end while he's having a nice, exhilarating fight with one of his favourite opponents, because in cases like that the world ending becomes an afterthought. How dare someone even consider trying to make the world end while he's still entertaining himself.]
Though I guess I don't really "push" so much as just do what I want and let the world accommodate for it.
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It would be, wouldn't it? I always thought it was a shame that there were places this kind of thing wasn't popular...it's a really nice way to spend time with people, for one thing. Though I guess there's always some who get embarrassed about that sort of thing...
[There's something of a sighing tone he takes on at that. Clearly easily embarrassed people are fun-ruiners (unless you're entertaining yourself by embarrassing them).]
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And people take words like "intimate" so seriously, like it's really going to fuck them up to be naked around mostly strangers and surrounded by steam. It'd be one thing if you're naked all alone- that's a different kind of attention-getter, and I'm always for it. But if everyone's naked, what's there to be intimidated by?
[He's definitely with him on that. People really need to lighten up.]
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He's probably not wrong about the intimacy thing, though. Ren leans back a little against the side of the bath and curls a hand against his mouth.]
Maybe it's because they like to think they're something special, and if you take all their layers away then they're no different to anyone else. I think that's what bothers a lot of people about showing themselves to other people.
[As someone who's been put on a pedestal for much of his life and isn't very fond of it, Ren's unashamed to admit that particular detail.]
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