this is Salem, a land filled with magic and maladies. It is a place where witches and their elemental familiars gather, a home to legend and
lore that predates time itself. Yet of all the wicked and wonderful stories the past can tell us of, the most magical are the ones yet to happen.
This is Salem - this is the start of your very own journey. Welcome to starfall
Starfall is an animaga witch roleplay set in mostly modern times. Members play as witches in a world plagued by monsters, where the only safe spots are walled cities. Starfall strives to be a character-driven roleplay with expansive lore and a highly interactive plotline. We want to allow members to
create and look back on a magical journey, and mold the site and its plot as their characters grow.
The slums weren't a new environment to Zephyr. He grew up here. He had a different name and a more innocent face back then, but both he and this area of the city had stayed unchanged enough for the patchwork of crumbling buildings along smog-filled streets to still feel like home. For him, that feeling wasn't safe or warm, but it was nostalgic.
The witch wore stiff pants, tall boots, and gloves to hide his prosthetics. He knew the kinds of things that were sold in and around Mavros', and he'd rather avoid an attempted mugging from someone desperate enough to try taking them for a profit. As a general rule, wares here were either cheap or stolen. Shops of lawfully acquired and genuinely interesting merchandise were few and far between. It was just an unfortunate truth of this neighborhood.
That said, when he passed what appeared to be a workshop of mechanical trinkets, it almost didn't register that he might have just stumbled upon a diamond in the rough. The inventor stopped abruptly when the realization hit him, then walked backwards to re-situate himself in front of the peculiar shop which he'd nearly passed. It looked legitimate enough, and Zephyr's curiosity tugged at him to look inside.
Spock had no complaints. The two of them weren't on a tight schedule today, and she had a similar interest in mechanics as her human companion. Gazes of both the human and the monkey hanging on his back lingered briefly on the doorway before glancing at each other. With a simultaneous shrug, Zephyr made his way inside.
Matteo Garcia You may have gotten the only post I've ever made where Zeph doesn't talk. Matteo might be magical after all \;u;/
Post by Matteo Garcia on May 14, 2017 22:49:19 GMT
[nospaces][googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900]
[attr="class","jarburnbb"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbleft"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbpic"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbt"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbicon"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbat"] Zephyr Hart || LOL well then Matteo's glad to be that tiny bit of magical
[attr="class","jarburnbbr"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyrics"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyr"]Do you hear?
I couldn't get enough, so I had to self destruct, The heat was on, rising to the top Everybody's goin' strong That is when my spark got hot I heard somebody say Burn baby burn! Disco inferno!
[attr="class","jarburnbbrp"]
Saturday morning. Matteo had risen, quickly grabbed his toolbelt of holding (dang he loved this toolbelt), slipped on his work clothes and headed off to his shop. The sun had just peaked over the horizon when he entered his shop, yawning from waking up early. He quickly sorted through his things, adjusting and locking various displays of his trinkets before unlocking the shop doors and propping one open. He glanced at the sign - Matteo's Tech Workshop. A simple name that he'd made because he'd finally admitted to himself that no one would enter "Hot Rod Tech and Prank Shop". Or at least the renter refused to allow that kind of shop in the space. It was in simple black lettering, burned into a plank of wood. It served his needs just fine, but he missed the old sign which had been lacquered - it had been stolen. He never found the thief - after all, who steals a sign? - but at least the person hadn't taken his wares.[break][break] He threw on a dirty and smeared black apron over his clothes before slipping into the seat behind his wooden table which served as counter, desk, and general place for paper-overload. His blueprints were everywhere behind him - some on the bookshelf, some in a bucket in rolls, others in the other section of the workshop that served as a forge. Right now, he had a clock to fix. It was one of those large, antique ones, and it was wearing at the edges. However the owner insisted it be fixed - despite the gears nearly reaching the point of un-fixability, if there even was such a word.[break][break] Several gears needed to be polished and oiled - Matteo had carefully taken them out and only now did he proceed with the oiling. A shadow at the door distracted him from his task and, looking up, he realized it was a potential customer. He got so few of them that he stood up in surprise.[break][break] "Ah! Welcome," he blurted, his hand fidgeting on his desk. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
[attr="class","gearcore"]The store sign implied that the owner was probably a guy, but Zephyr had been subconsciously expecting to be met by some dwarf-like old man with comically large magnifying goggles carefully repairing watches. Although he'd been (mostly) right about the clock, the owner was certainly much younger and cuter than he'd imagined. The shop, rather than an exclusive space for dust and old machines in disrepair, looked like it was sprinkled with fairly new blueprints. Evidently, this place wasn't just for repairs.
"Thanks -- I'm guessin' you're Matteo?" he asked, pointing a thumb towards the door and the sign outside. As he did so, Spock hopped off of his shoulder and walked on feet and knuckles over to the front desk, slowly lifting just the top of her head over the edge to peer at what the tinker was working on. "I haven't seen a real workshop in this neighborhood in years. Figured I'd drop in an' take a look." Currently, however, Spock seemed to be doing most of the looking -- eyes daring over piles of blueprints like a kid in a candy shop.
"Her name's Sprocket," Zeph decided to answer the frequently asked questions he got from strangers before this Matteo had a chance to ask. "Not a real talkative type. Curious, though. Just tell 'er if she starts bein' too much of a bother... An' she also wants ya t' know she sympathizes with your plight of workin' with such shit parts. Her thoughts, not mine." The spindly monkey gave a solemn nod, staring mournfully at the gears on the table.
Once he'd finished with what was probably more than enough introductions the shopkeep (the poor kid probably just wanted to finish that clock without having to listen to potential customers prattle on about their familiars), Zephyr began glancing around the rest of the front room. Although he most certainly wanted to dig through the rolled up designs behind the counter, he was aware enough to realize that they were likely behind the counter for a reason. Spock, however, obviously didn't care for abiding by the unspoken rules of store structure as she was very obviously reaching for one of the papers. Her bound human didn't make a move to stop her. "So... mind if I ask what ya do here? More specifically than just doin' workshop stuff, I mean."
Matteo Garcia here, matteo, have some obnoxious distractions in the middle of your work. A+ first impressions /o/
Post by Matteo Garcia on May 19, 2017 15:32:11 GMT
[nospaces][googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900]
[attr="class","jarburnbb"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbleft"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbpic"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbt"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbicon"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbat"] Zephyr Hart || lol rip lessee how it goes
[attr="class","jarburnbbr"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyrics"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyr"]Do you hear?
I couldn't get enough, so I had to self destruct, The heat was on, rising to the top Everybody's goin' strong That is when my spark got hot I heard somebody say Burn baby burn! Disco inferno!
[attr="class","jarburnbbrp"]
His customer has a large scar on his face, one that looks like a burn mark or the result of a serious accident. His curiosity piques, but he knows it's bad manners to pry and so he keeps the thought tucked away elsewhere in his mind. Matteo nods as the male points his thumb towards the shop sign. "If you need any help, let me know," Matteo says, taking the blonde-hair's admission of coming in to browse in stride. Though from the way he speaks, he can haphazard a guess that he's someone who at least holds an interest in tech. He's a little unsure about the first part, though - a real workshop? Does he mean there are fake ones or something?[break][break] Matteo's a little surprised when Zephyr speaks on behalf of his familiar, saying that the monkey is sorry for him, no less. He shrugs. "I make do with what I can," he says. He knows the stuff he has is not of the best quality, but it's the best he could get or find - the junkyard has some scraps, and he tries to make good use of anything he can get his hands on that seems in working or needs-a-quick-fix order.[break][break] Matteo's visitor doesn't give his name, only that of his familiar, and though Matteo's fine with that, he's still curious. But he doesn't ask, instead settling with going back to his clock and tightening a screw while the male continues observing the shop. It's not exactly clean, but it's neater than many of the stores that are further in the marketplace.[break][break] Bandersnatch, sitting curled up behind Matteo, notices the monkey and gives a low growl, opening one golden eye as he stares at the familiar. Knowing that Bandersnatch is really more prone to just sleeping and snoring, it catches Matteo's attention and he turns to see the monkey reaching for his stuff. [break][break] He makes shooing motions, but he's momentarily distracted by Zephyr's question. "I mean - the usual. Fixing things that people bring me. Building things from scratch. Inventing a couple doodads here and there." He points to a small object that sits on one of the shelves, silvery in color and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. "That one's something I made. A buzzer. Slip it on a finger, hold your hand out to someone, and watch them get a shock. A mild one, for sure, but it's good for pranks."[break][break] He doesn't mention his failure of a litesaber. He also doesn't mention the confetti bomb, not after a male by the name of Tony seemed on the verge of chucking it and possibly causing a huge mess. He also doesn't point out the flashbang - he does NOT want to get blinded again.[break][break] "I've also been working on a device meant to capture scenery. Like - y'know, paintings? But they're not painted, and they just take in what it sees. It's not working, so far, but..." He trails off, ending with that hopeful 'but' so as to say that he plans on working on it until it, well, works.[break][break] Finally, he poses the question that's nagged at him since the male entered his store. "By the way, may I get your name?" he asks.
[attr="class","gearcore"]Spock's arm recoils when the shopkeep shoos her away. Betrayed, she shoots a glare at the golden-eyed lizard. From Spock's mental description, Zephyr couldn't help but imagine the familiar as an undersized dragon defending its hoard of treasured gadgets.
"Bet I could slay it," the monkey quipped across their mental link.
"No bet; play nice." Zeph shot her a quick warning look as Matteo was explaining his profession.
"No promises." Spock's tail flicked as she glanced back at him, seating herself atop the counter where she could look down at the lazy "dragon". Her intent, despite her silent words, more inquisitive than malicious.
Zephyr trusted her to not do anything bad enough to form a rift between them, so he wasn't going to argue. Instead, he picks up the buzzer which Matteo mentioned and asks, "So're all of those your ideas?" His hand, with buzzer donned, makes a sweeping motion towards the shelves of papers before lifting towards his face to get a closer look at the prank's mechanism, glancing over at Matteo occasionally to indicate that he was still listening and interested in what the tinker had to say. With few external clues other than the round container and central button, however, the device remained primarily a mystery.
"So you're aimin' t' make somethin' that freezes the kind o' flat image of reality like you'd see on a mirror, an' transposes it on somethin' like canvas?" he asks to make sure he's understanding correctly. As he asks this, he slaps his hands together to activate the buzzer on himself, causing both him and Spock to jump slightly at the shock. It wasn't what he expected -- the jolt of energy being motion-based rather than electrical. His eyes widen in fascination. After all, Spock isn't the only curious one from this duo.
I couldn't get enough, so I had to self destruct, The heat was on, rising to the top Everybody's goin' strong That is when my spark got hot I heard somebody say Burn baby burn! Disco inferno!
[attr="class","jarburnbbrp"]
Matteo's sure that the monkey gives Bandy a dirty look before simply settling on the counter. But from their mental link, Matteo already knows that Bandy's gone back to sleep. He sighs - his familiar is really quite the lazy piece of work. Matteo's not even sure of the last time it had actually been active...[break][break] He watches as the male slips the buzzer on his finger. He knows the device doesn't give a large shock, but he still wants to ensure his customer isn't hurt. That'd be bad for business. And business was already pretty bad. "Yeah, they're all inventions or creations of mine. Or at least, most of them are. There are some things in there that were thrown in the trash heap and I just gave them a quick fix. They should be good as new, now. Or at least - nearly as good." Some of them are dented and worn, like that coffee grinder that's displayed on his farmost shelf, but it works ... kinda. The handle's a little hard to turn and the wood's obviously been split, but Matteo had lovingly gotten rid of the rust and glued back the pieces so it would at least have some semblance of future use. Admittedly, he'd gone and used it himself once - some mishap at the cafe - but it still worked. And frankly, that was its only selling point.[break][break] "Yeah." Matteo replies to the male's question with a nod. "Spot on. But like I said...it's not working." It's gotten him a bit downtrodden, but he'll get there. At some point. He hopes.[break][break] The man introduces himself as Zephyr Hart, and Matteo gives a smile at his quick explanation of the last name. There's something amusing in the sentence that he can't quite place, but it makes him warm up to the guy. "It's nice to meet you too,"[break][break] Cliche greeting line taken in stride, Matteo smiles widely. It's not often people actually enjoyed his shop, much less called it impressive. He's heard more often the cries of "dingy dump" or similar. "Thank you," he says, surprise and joy both evident in his voice. "It truly means a lot. I don't often get customers who're actually interested in all this stuff....mostly I get people who just want things fixed in a jiff."[break][break] It feels nice to have someone to discuss his passion with. Nicer than simply having a customer browse through his stuff. Though admittedly, he's still wary about that there monkey.
[attr="class","gearcore"]"Ever been t' the tram graveyard downtown?" Zeph asks when the tinker mentions that he restores devices saved from the trash, "It's a goldmine o' parts if you're lookin' t' make somethin' sizeable." Zephyr usually was, so he visited often. Damaged parts could be repaired (or completely reshaped) at the Rothscus' place, aging wood could be smoothed at Sima's, and his half-complete builds could be stashed away at any number of his haunts. Perhaps this shop appealed to him so much because it was a dedicated space just for the owner, where he could draft, create, and store all in one. It was a nice concept.
Zeph had to scoff as the tinker said his invention wasn't working with such a disheartened tone. "Mate, you're soundin' awful glum for someone who's got an idea for somethin' that hasn't been made in th' entirety o' human creation. If it was easy an' obvious, it'd be made already." Zephyr had a few ideas himself (trams that could travel over land without guiding rails, capsules that could drift deep beneath the ocean's depths, boats that could skiff across clouds), accompanied by plenty of prototypes that didn't scale or simply didn't work. It was the thrill of chasing what might be possible that made it fun.
The genuineness of Matteo's surprise was... well, surprising. Surprise was something that happened when people were suddenly faced by something unexpected, but Zephyr had considered his compliment fairly mellow. This tinker was obviously not attracting the right crowd if his doubts were this deeply engrained. "Well I still might disappoint ya," Zeph warns, mostly jokingly, "I'm seriously thinkin' t' buy this thing just t' crack it open." He taps the side of the prank buzzer, still on his finger, albeit already activated. "An' I hate t' say it, but you're not exactly situated in a part o' town that breeds good-hearted inquisitiveness, y'know."
Matteo Garcia yes pls be wary of the monkey -- she is not to be trusted
Post by Matteo Garcia on Jul 22, 2017 21:18:48 GMT
[nospaces][googlefont=Roboto:300,400,900]
[attr="class","jarburnbb"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbleft"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbpic"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbt"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbicon"]
[attr="class","jarburnbbat"] Zephyr Hart || gah this is so effin late im sorry
[attr="class","jarburnbbr"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyrics"]
[attr="class","jarburnbblyr"]Do you hear?
I couldn't get enough, so I had to self destruct, The heat was on, rising to the top Everybody's goin' strong That is when my spark got hot I heard somebody say Burn baby burn! Disco inferno!
[attr="class","jarburnbbrp"]
Matteo nods in response to Zephyr's question. He has indeed been down there - lots of his forge was made from scraps he found there, actually. But what really gets him is that this guy also knows of the place - and knows its worth. Matteo warms up to him immediately.[break][break] He gives a laugh when Zeph gives him a backhanded compliment. Or at least, he thinks it's a compliment? He'll take it as such. "Yeah, it's definitely quite the quest," he says with a light tone. "As you said, there's no precedent for me to look at for a model."[break][break] He stops when Zephyr continues, saying he's obviously not attracting the right crowd, he's not in the right neighbourhood. Matteo sighs. He knows. He knows this is definitely not the best place for his shop, but it's also the only place he can afford. [break][break] "Well, if I get enough cash, I'll probably try to move shop to downtown. Or at least, not here," he says, mimicking Zephyr's joking tone with ease. He prefers talk like this anyway - a light, happier tone, one that cares not about the subject at hand, whether it be serious or polite or whatever. Just - fun.[break][break] "You seem a tinker, yourself," he remarks, noting the fact that Zephyr wants to possibly buy his trinket to see its inner workings. "That for a job? Or hobby?"
[attr="class","gearcore"]"All I can say is I hope ya keep with it," the tinker says, "It's not really in my area o' knowledge t' offer technical suggestions, but it sounds madly useful if ya get it workin'." Freezing an image in time... People would be able to easily record how things changed over time, and compare the differences between things located miles apart. They'd be able to show an event to people who hadn't attended, or a face of a missing kid to a search party. It had the possibility of being world-changing.
He nods at the tinker's goals for relocation. He could understand the struggle of affording a nice place -- truthfully, most of his own tinkering was still done at his dad's forge. Even when he got a space away from his family, he hadn't even managed to get a proper workshop, and he was sharing the apartment with another guy.
"Eh, I s'pose bit o' both business an' pleasure," he admits with a shrug, "By trade, I'm a mechanic for anythin' ridin' the rails. Trams, trains, that sort o' thing. I play around with th' spare parts in my own time, though."
Spock hops down from the counter, landing hands-first, followed by feet, before walking on her knuckles and toes over to Zephyr. She climbs up his body and onto his shoulder with trained ease. If the unfazed expression of the blonde was any indication, this was a regular occurrence. He takes the buzzer off of his finger and hands it to her at her mental request, but quickly appears to regret his decision as the words "I'm gonna break it now." flowed into his mind from his familiar. Zephyr's eyes widen as he lunges for her, but her cackling leap back to the ground is quicker.
"Spock!" he exclaims, but the monkey doesn't hesitate in her arms' decent, bashing the device against the floor like an otter breaking a clam against a rock. Sure, Zeph loved taking things apart, but breaking something so unceremoniously in front of the person who made it was still incredibly rude, even by his standards.
"... So... how much?" he asks Matteo after a pause as Spock pries apart the covering of the device and flicks at the spring inside.
Matteo Garcia it's ok, I know you were away, and even just generally pls feel free to take your time! \;u;/
