28 [Video] ALMOST USEFUL PLOT POST. [Forwarded to the 22nd.]

[smartwinchester]

[Sam has been essentially silent for the past two or three weeks.

He's been researching -- something that's been disrupted due to Asgard falling apart at the seams for what feels like the tenth time this month, but Sam has finally reached a conclusion. A pretty obvious one, if he says so himself. And so he turns on the video feed, looking tired -- drawn, with messy hair, almost like he hasn't slept in a few days (which, let's be real, he totally hasn't), and he draws in a deep breath before speaking.]

This world isn't going to last much longer unless we do something.

[It's quiet, but certain -- firm and steady. Sam has faced down several end of the worlds and has been both the cause and end of a few of them -- he's not afraid. It's just a simple fact.]

The gods are pretty much at their breaking point -- this city, Asgard, Yggdrasil, all of it -- it's going to collapse unless we do something. So... I've been thinking -- the gods lend us their energy. That's how we have our specific gifts, right?

[And, to demonstrate, Sam conjures a ball of fire in the palm of his hand pretty easily, letting it crackle there for a few seconds before it dissipates.]

You can't give something without taking something away -- feeding magical energy into every single Traveler here must require a lot of effort. And, for awhile, it was working -- but now it's got to be nothing more than a giant drain. So... I've been -- thinking, what if we could utilize this connection to our advantage? So...

[Give him a minute as he rustles through some papers -- and as the camera tilts, you can see that the entire back wall of his apartment is pretty much covered in Asgardian rune designs, pinned and strung up, some crossed out, some not -- until he holds up a specific design -- fairly simple.]

So I decided to test something -- in my universe, utilizing sigils on our own bodies can have specific effects, you can -- you can ward against things, you can hide yourself from other people, so I decided to try the same line of logic on myself using this world's magic, and --

[Sam tugs down his shirt a little, to show a rune painted onto his chest -- and like before, Sam conjures a fire ball -- but this time, the individuals watching will be able to see the rune glow -- for Sam, it glows a faint golden-yellowish-orange, the color of Odin. And when Sam makes the fire ball disappear, the glowing fades.

He lets out a slight breath.]

In theory, utilizing magic while having this sigil on your body -- unbroken, anywhere where it won't be disturbed -- will transfer energy back along the connection the gods have with us all in order to help revitalize them. I've been testing it since last night and... there are a few side-effect if you use it too much, but all I can tell is that I just feel tired. Kind of like I want a nap. Or to read.

[Pause.]

-- anyway -- it's worth a shot. People are complaining that nothing is getting done or that this world is falling apart, then here is your opportunity to do something about it. I'm setting up an open download with the runes available -- download it to your bracelet, test it out, give it a shot -- and let me know how you feel afterwards.

[In short -- here is Sam Winchester, following people's advice and being a productive member of society.

Sam pauses again before he offers a tired grin -- a slight one, barely there, but still there.]

And if Odin wakes up, let him know that I do payment plans.

[Fuck you, Odin, better appreciate it, you janky ass bitch. >:(]

ooc; This is the post for the Almost Useful plot. Descriptions are here! Feel free to threadjack and make this post a giant effing mess. :)

Comments

[video]

[myownhero]

[Okay, so that scared the crap out of her, but getting some kind of plan right afterward has mostly calmed her nerves. And she's starting to understand runes, if not magic as a whole, so she can see the sense in the plan.

Sort of.]

I'm on it. [Wait.] That arena in Thor - the training stuff there, weights and punching bags and all that, it's all pretty strong, right?

[video]

[stakes]

Incredibly. [ Hi, this is the resident trainer in the Arena who gives like. Weaponry classes and shit. ]

[Video]

[madcuriosity]

Ah! That's a fabulous idea! And maybe if people need help painting it, we can have volunteers, not just from Freyr's house but in general!

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

The more accurate it is, the better -- and it has to be completely unbroken or else it won't work. If you use your powers and the sigil glows, it's working.

But people well practiced in the art of drawing would be useful, to help people out.

[Video]

[in_loveless_memory]

That's... actually a good idea. The only side-effect is being tired? And also, are people capable of helping... other gods? [Cause yeah no, Ritsuka has no desire to help Hel.]

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

As far as I can tell, your power is directly linked to your patron god. Every time I use my own power, I'm transferring my energy to Odin.

[Who, quite frankly, kind of needs it the most.]

I'm tired, but I don't feel... exhausted or anything like that. I feel pretty good, actually.

[text]

[quantumtangled]

It is a well thought out idea, and I will try it myself as soon as possible.

[text]

[smartwinchester]

Thank you.

video.

[brainiest]

Do you really think this will help him - Odin? Can we use more than one rune, then?

video.

[smartwinchester]

Everyone's powers are linked to them through their own patron god -- so the only people who can help Odin right now are the members of Odin's house.

[So Sam and Hermione can -- but Castiel, for example, couldn't.]

You can try, but so far the only thing I've managed to do is reverse the flow of energy to Odin, and no other god. I'd welcome more experimentation, though.

[Video]

[dragonspeak]

Somehow, I don't think Odin will be giving you anything in return if he does wake up.

[It's just a hunch, you know? And now he'll be eyeing Sam suspiciously.]

You had someone nearby when you tested the rune, right?

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

Ungrateful dick.

[bc Merlin is right and that makes him irritated.

But then Sam pauses.]

-- Riot was with me.

[his

doge.]

video.

[stakes]

Do you really think the side effects will be that light? This is some pretty intense stuff.

video.

[smartwinchester]

I've been testing it on and off for the past few hours and all I feel is tired. No pain or anything like that -- I feel pretty good, actually.

Video

[thralls]

...we will give the gods a portion of our souls?

[That sounds... horrific to him, to be honest. But if there's no other alternative- he knows who he belongs to, and he knows what he claims to worship. If this is a test, he will not fail it.]

If it helps our gods, then I will be willing to make the attempt.

Video

[smartwinchester]

Not our souls, no, just reversing the flow of energy -- their magic is being returned to them, that's all.

[Kind of like switching the light switch from on to off.]

I appreciate it.

[digophelia]

I suppose it's worth a shot, after all, we have nothing else to lose. Do we know what will happen after we experience fatigue?

[smartwinchester]

I've been doing it for a few hours and I just feel tired. Kind of want to take a nap.

[Other than that, though, Sam is pretty content.]

[Video]

[timaeus_testified]

Sounds like a plan. I'll give you the data of my tests after I try this out.

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

Thanks, I appreciate it -- I haven't experienced any negative side effects myself besides fatigue, but everybody could be different.

[voice]

[cyborg_cop]

Right. Magic body paint.

[Sure, why not?]

Look, it's a nice theory, but, you know, science.

[Says the cop, who is no a scientist.]

I mean, think about it. IF you're right about using them as basically batteries, you can't just flip the switch on a battery. It blows up.

[That is the voice of sober personal experience. Don't try to recharge non rechargeable batteries.]

[voice]

[smartwinchester]

I've kicked Lucifer's ass with magical body paint.

[It's said a bit dryly -- expecting skepticism, but not prepared to be mature about it.]

Magic and science can coincide pretty easily if you know how to work it. This'll work if you give it a shot.

[Video]

[sleight_of_hand]

Er...

[Adachi paused, screwing up his face in thought.]

...s'cuse me for bein' the new guy, but how's that supposed to help? I mean, we're just humans. Even if they're just lending us power to begin with, how is shuffling it back at them supposed to help much?

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

If we were "just" humans, they wouldn't have brought us here to help us fight.

[It's said gently, but pretty dryly.]

And if everyone offers an ounce of energy -- it takes a hundred pennies to make a dollar, right? It'll make a difference.

[video]

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye? Well, I suppose having a go at trying it can't hurt.

[Sounds simple enough to him, really. If he gets tired, he can always take a nap - and it's not as though he hasn't done that sort of thing before anyway.]

Need anything taken somewhere? Packages or...well, anything, really. Figure if I'm going to be using my power anyway I might as well make myself useful while doing so.

[It's better than running around and around on a track, as far as he's concerned. Or at least less boring.]

[video]

[smartwinchester]

Not as of yet, but if I can think of something, I can definitely call you.

[Sam can sympathize -- aimlessly lighting candles gets pretty boring.]

video.

[frothing]

Well, em, I've got telekinesis. What can I do to help?

video.

[smartwinchester]

I've been lighting candles on and off for the past two hours.

[With a soft huff of laughter.]

Maybe you can help in what's left of the clean up? Or maybe just picking up things with your powers -- pretty much any use of magic will do the trick.

[Video]

[saving_sound]

Ah... That's a very simple array. Um, if you need anyone to help paint it, I can do it! We should have lots of paint at the guild to use, too!

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

Thank you -- someone else has volunteered, too. Distributing materials would be a good idea to people who don't want permanent marker or something else on their skin.

video

[fire_punk]

Is it really hard to draw? [He frowns, thinking. Some of the runes look pretty fancy. He's not sure if he's good at drawing stuff.]

You think it'll really help? Like help them stop everything dying?

video

[smartwinchester]

It's pretty simple, actually -- and judging from my research, it should.

video

[windbreak]

...Man, I give up. What am I - wait, gimme a second -

[With a little jockeying, the video focuses on the nearby table, on which his bracelet hand is resting. Glistening on the back of that is a noticeably shaky approximation of the Loki rune.]

What am I doing wrong? It's the right shape, isn't it?

[Apart from missing a line, yeah. And the fact that the paint has already started to run down the side of his hand in little, unnoticed rivulets.]

video

[smartwinchester]

[He studies it with a small frown before forwarding the image again.]

It has to be exact -- you're missing a line and the smudging is disrupting the flow of energy. Try it in ink, it should stick better.

video.

[hisstrength]

So do you just draw it with ...anything?

video.

[smartwinchester]

Runic paint and ink should do the trick. You can get it pretty much anywhere within the city, but I have some leftover if you want to have it.

voice.

[getseven]

This is the most peaceful way to save the world that I have ever seen.

[Is that tone mocking? Yes. Yes it is.]

I'm not sure what I expected, but I'm not sure naps were next on my list after biblical levels of flooding.

voice.

[smartwinchester]

I'm pretty tired of using war to save the world, so peace it is.

[Dryly.]

You're giving your energy to someone else -- being tired afterwards is a pretty expected side effect.

[kuramaless]

[It sounds complicated, but if actually doing it is supposed to be as easy as drawing a rune on yourself? Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd used them. That had worked, right?

Only, there's that slight confusion.]

I've already got that-- Energy Transfer thing, right? Shouldn't I just-- you know?

[smartwinchester]

Energy transfer only works among natives and Travelers -- and only if you're within a close enough distance. This will automatically give energy back to the gods without having to touch them.

video

[therightchoice]

[ That looks so cool, man. ]

So we kinda recharge ourselves instead on relying the gods to work on our powers?

video

[smartwinchester]

Basically.

text;

[palebee]

Very well-done. Do you know whether there is energy lost for the transit of god -> traveler -> god, or was the imbuement only an initial product of entry into Asgard?

text;

[smartwinchester]

I'm assuming that there is some energy lost, just for a margin of error, but I'm not entirely sure. There's no real way to measure it, unfortunately. I just have to assume the worst in order to hope for the best.

[Video]

[comeonthensexy]

Brilliant! You know, maybe I should get into this whole rune magic business more.

[ He is so on this. So on it. ]

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

It's pretty useful once you get the hang of it.

[Voice]

[hadbadays]

So a bit like Energy Lending, then?

[ He's a little suspicious and unsure, but it's not like he wants this world to fall into ruin, no matter what that might mean for their own. Hrm. ]

[Voice]

[smartwinchester]

A little, yeah.

[Video]

[ofthursday]

[Castiel had actually considered whether it was possible to give energy to the gods, but he hadn't pursued it mostly because he's not sure it would be worth any potential risk. But it seems Sam doesn't feel the same, and Castiel frowns a little as he responds.]

So you have been trying it yourself?

[And not letting anyone know in case something went wrong?]

[Video]

[smartwinchester]

Well, I wasn't going to hire a stranger to test it for me.

[Duh.]

It seems to be working so far, though. I just feel a little tired, but not a bad kind of tired. I feel great, actually.