[open mingle log] stargazing club meteor shower!

[friendlyflower]

WHO: Flowey & the Stargazing Club (and any other interested parties)
WHAT: Viewing a meteor shower during a clear evening
WHEN: Early December
WHERE: A big hilltop picnic
WARNINGS: None (will change if any come up)

are you a star?

a. gathering

[Togetic- something of a figurehead for the hobby clubs and an overall advocate for relaxation- has been spreading the word! A meteor shower will be visible tonight! Everyone who's interested should gather up on Lookout Hill for the clearest viewing experience!

It is terribly cold lately, of course, especially at night. When Pokemon begin to arrive on the hilltop, they'll find chairs, blankets, and a kettle for serving hot drinks. Some Pokemon are huddling together to stay warm or just to be comfortable before the meteor shower begins!

Any Pokemon who were already here on this nice, quiet spot overlooking the city will soon find it's beginning to get just a bit quiet. At least there are other spots a bit further away that might offer more privacy...?

It's also a bit of a climb up the hill. Togetic and a few other winged Pokemon are escorting smaller ones up the hill-- though Flowey, stubborn as ever, notably refuses.]

b. star light, star bright

[The sky is clear and unclouded. A tapestry of stars is visible overhead. Some Pokemon are pointing out visible constellations. Though, sometimes if you look away, the stars might be just a little different than you remember. How odd...

A few others are setting up telescopes. If you want to use one, maybe you can even see other celestial bodies-- though you might be interrupted by Minior playing in the atmosphere.

All of a sudden, some Pokemon cry out in surprise. Is that a Minior, too...? No, it's the first shooting star of the night! Make a wish!]

c. shining with hope

[The meteor shower has begun in full. Streaks of light cascade across the heavens. Pokemon of all shapes and sizes gaze enraptured towards the sky.

Although... that one is awfully large, isn't it? And it's getting closer! A few Pokemon run in panic!

Fortunately, the falling star is actually too small to hurt anyone. It simply 'thunks' down in a snow bank. Togetic extracts a rather large Moon Stone. They and other Pokemon decide to take it to the Lum Guild for study.

However, other resourceful Pokemon might be able to gather Stardust, entire Star Pieces, or even fragments of Moon Stone! While the former don't have a use and the latter are much too small to be used for evolution, at least they're pretty. Some Pokemon begin talking about making accessories or decorations from them.]

d. farewell

[Soon, the meteor shower comes to an end. Some Pokemon decide to stick around longer, but many begin to make their way towards their homes-- and their warm beds.

Flowey remains behind, still staring up at the sky. He's been... unusually cooperative and quiet tonight.

If you draw near, he doesn't quite look at you.] ... what a show.

[Or, maybe you're also lingering in silence. Finally, he might approach you.] Not heading home yet? Aren't you cold?

e. wildcard approaching

[Wildcard option. Feel free to make your own prompt here or throw something at Flowey, or message me on plurk at friendlyflower

As a note, feel free to use the Togetic NPC if you want to in these threads. Just assume they're a helpful character who wants everyone to have fun and enjoy the meteor shower.]

Comments

[paperceptive]

[ Odile heard about the stargazing club, and it sounded interesting, but to be honest, she only actually turned up because of Siffrin. She'd entirely forgotten it was happening tonight at all! Still, she's glad to have come; the cold doesn't bother her anymore, and the quiet night is peaceful.

The...stars are interesting too. She can't say that she's ever paid much attention at all to the night sky; looking back now, it seems like an odd oversight. She splits her time between staring up at the sky and peering through a telescope, just often enough to avoid monopolizing the things. ]

Curious...what are they?

[ Weirdly basic question from someone like Odile!

After the meteor falls, she starts searching about, gathering fragments of moonstone and gems (star pieces?) in one big claw. Gems from the sky...it sounds oddly familiar. Wouldn't you think Ka Bue would have stories about things like this? Maybe she can commission a new chain for her specially-fitted cat glasses... ]

[offtracks]

open

[ Ingo cannot say that he knows much about stars themselves. Just the basics! That's all he needs anyway. The important thing is that if he's lost in Hisui, he can navigate by the sky.

Here, he can't. But he's been here almost a year now. That's enough to see the seasons pass...maybe he's starting to pick up on it a little? The Typhlosion ignores the telescopes in large part; they're interesting, but a little aside from his own purposes. He just sits and watches the sky darken. ]

...what are the constellations here, anyhow?

d for flowey!

[ Ingo does stay late, though he's still perfectly awake and alert. One of his ears flicks towards the sound of Flowey's movement even before he turns. ]

Oh, no - I was used to the cold even before I became a fire-type! I am simply enjoying the view. There was very little else to do, most nights, back on the mountain.

[friendlyflower]

I was wondering. Didn't you get bored? Your entire life couldn't have been just search and rescue. [Not much different from here.]

[edgewater]

The stars? Dead planets, usually. Already been dead for hundreds, or even thousands of years. They're so far away that they're still transmitting light even after they're long gone.

[ parvati offers this explanation matter-of-factly, as if it's as common knowledge as basic math. she's cradling a hot drink in her hands, gingerly taking sips as she looks up. ]

Kinda beautiful, ain't it?

[offtracks]

Oh yes, sometimes! Search and rescue efforts were really very rare, comparatively! Not at all like here!

[ Of course, people in Hisui tend to only get rescued once, and not magically get lost in the exact same area several times at once. ]

I spent much of the days seeing to my own survival! I was on my own save for my Pokemon, so if we did not take care of ourselves, nobody would. That is another way in which this place is different!

[paperceptive]

Really? That's fascinating.

[ Is it really common knowledge? She...doesn't think she's heard anyone but Siffrin really mention the stars much. Maybe Isabeau, who she knows got it from them anyway. ]

How was that discovered?

[edgewater]

You know, I'm not actually sure.

[ she shrugs, taking another sip of her drink. ] Not really in my ballpark, but it's somethin' about how they generate energy and how fast light travels across large distances.

[paperceptive]

...hm.

[ She reaches for the pouch slung across her body, pulling out her journal. It's awfully dark here for trying to write anything down, and she nearly gives up without even trying...but the oddities here still nag at her, so she scrawls down a quick note, squinting down her muzzle. ]

That's not a field of study in my world at all.

[edgewater]

I come from a world further in the future than anyone else here, so that ain't surprising.

[ she tries to catch a look at the note odile is scrawling before giving up when she realises it's a bit too dark, continuing to sip her drink. ]

But does your world not have astronomy at all? No constellations or anything...?

[paperceptive]

No...I don't think so...

[ Is there something? Maybe there's a constellation or two she's forgotten...? ]

Siffrin's mentioned stars before, though. Maybe it's different...wherever they're from.

not here please continue

[loopsiedaisy]

[Somewhere else on the hill, their ear is twitching.]

[...]

[edgewater]

Huh. Well, it means you get to learn the ones here! Maybe the Archives have something about it you can bring along next time..?

[ she tilts her head to the side as she says this. ]

Or you could ask Siffrin. Or both.

[friendlyflower]

Didn't you get lonely not talking to other people? [As far as he knows, Pokemon didn't normally talk in Ingo's world... he thinks.]

[offtracks]

I spoke to my Pokemon, and Lady Sneasler!

[ Like. All the time. Ingo's not good at being alone, or at least at being silent. ]

But all the same, it did do me good when I started traveling to Jubilife more regularly. Pokemon may still understand you, in my world, but most cannot reply in a way humans can understand ourselves.

[paperceptive]

[ She'd like to see you get a straight answer on anything out of Siffrin!

But even Odile won't actually say that aloud with Siffrin like, three feet away. ]

I'll have to add it to the list. I've been researching local legends primarily.

[edgewater]

Ooh, you find anything interesting from that?

[ she'd be lying if she said she wasn't interested, but the archive's layout gave her such a headache. see, this isn't a problem with computers unless you're a special case of bad with them. ]

[paperceptive]

There's a number of beings who may be able to interfere with time - the way that might be happening to rescued Pokemon like Furfrou. But nothing that would point to any of them in particular...

[ And, legends being what they are, her information may not be entirely correct. Back home, she would know what was believable and not; here it's a bit more up in the air. ]

[loopsiedaisy]

B, for Dolly

[How long has it been since they last saw a meteor shower...?]

[...]

[How long has it been since they watched a meteor shower with... someone else, someone who was actually paying attention to it? Have they ever?]

[If they have, they certainly won't remember it. But... it means they're glad other people are around, even if they're not entirely in the mood to talk. While normally these days Siffrin is more "tolerant of" ending up in the same place as the Stargazing Club than "excited" (maybe they would've been excited before they remembered who they really were? Or maybe not) this is different.]

[...there's still someone missing, though, someone who should be here just as much as them. They'll have to tell him about it later...]

[They're staring at the sky, so it's not immediately apparent that they're lost in thought rather than just enjoying the view. But they get jolted out of it when they hear a soft rustle of paper. They turn their head, expecting to see Odile - they know she's sticking nearby - and they're surprised to find Dolly passing with several large sheets instead.]

[They visibly tilt their head at her, eyes narrowing. What is she doing here with those?]

D, for Flowey

[Possibly Flowey should have turned to look at who was approaching him before he spoke. Or maybe tonight Flowey's in the mood to greet even this Siffrin this way?]

[Either way, the response he gets is an unfortunately familiar voice saying,] It was, wasn't it?

[It's still the same bright tone as the last time the two butted heads, but it's more muted tonight. And a lot quieter, with the gravity of the night sky pressing down on their voice.]

E, Wildcard

( If there's something you'd really like to do with Siffrin, please do PM or poke me at stocke! )

B!

[autumnrainrunaway]

[ It was one of those rare opportunities Dolly has gotten to really work on star mapping this world's constellations. The papers rustled a bit in the gingerbread house shaped saddle bags, drawing tools included for the charting. She'll have to go to the Archives afterwards to check their constellations records. ]

[ Maybe the constellations will be similar to Earth's? That that little bit of familiarity would be welcomed, it was a star system Dolly had grown accustomed to since leaving Tir Na Nog. ]

[ The lights of the stars and streaks of the the meteor shower swirled like a Vincent van Gogh painting in her eyesight as Dolly prepares her spot. ]

[ Would things have been easier with her astrolabe on paw? Sure, but Dolly wouldn't be much of a daughter of Tir Na Nog if she couldn't chart it by eye. They would've laughed at her...would've had they all been.. ]

[ Focused and tuning out most of the world around her, Dolly gets the first sheet out and prepares to get to work. Dolly hadn't noticed Siffrin just yet watching as she started mapping. ]

[edgewater]

You spoken with Akechi about that yet? He's all over that stuff right now. [ to a degree parvati finds concerning but hey, if it helps. ]

[paperceptive]

Oh yes - mostly with him, as a matter of fact. I'm glad someone like him was among the first.

[ Nothing against the other new arrivals per se, but Akechi is observant and methodical, and she trusts his information. ]

[edgewater]

Yeah. He knows what he's talking about to some extent. [ his incessant need to start twitter levels of discourse on the network aside. that was one time. ] Anything interesting come outta that?

[paperceptive]

[ That was annoying, but also sort of fascinating to observe? Odile's not entirely against it. Let the youth be foolish, or whatever. ]

The history of the Guilds seems rather odd, especially considering there's unexplained records here that may refer to them. They seem entirely founded around exploration, yet they only began to explore the forest once we all arrived - doesn't that seem strange?

[edgewater]

Heard some people say we could be chosen ones or something, but I'm not sure if I believe in that crap. Not like that, anyway. [ they were definitely chosen for something, but that view just feels entirely self centred when put the way it has been. ] But, yeah. I was never really allowed to venture out despite my home being pretty similar until I met my Captain, though. Maybe we're like that.

[ she doesn't think the idea of everyone from another world being an unplanned variable is all that likely, though. ]

[paperceptive]

[ Odile grimaces. They obviously were chosen by something, but she doesn't like to think of it as...what? A god? ]

Perhaps. Regardless, I do find the historical records here to be...lacking, mostly. Where they aren't that, they're just strange.