escordvi | [semi-open] 💣 they're gonna clean up your looks

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[semi-open] 💣 they're gonna clean up your looks

Who: The PLUS ULTRA! crew & friends.
Status: Semi-open.
Where: The Mighty Explosion God Ship Bomb!! ship that is docked in Eltrut or Elah. Or the small cottage the crew owns in Elah.
What: A catch-all mingle log for March for the PLUS ULTRA! crew and any friends happening by. Some Manta Board quest prompts have been included too.
Warnings: Tba.

⛵ Like the rest of the ships around the docks lately, the explosion of sea slugs has taken over the hero's ship as well. It's covered in what seems like hundreds of playful and colourful sea slugs. They are all over the deck, climbing up the mast and leaving strings of sticky slime all over the place. The slugs will either need to be removed somehow or killed. And the sea slug slime mopped up...

If crewmates and friends are looking for partners to go harvesting underwater pineapples with the ship can also be found in Eltrut waters where the special pineapples can be found. Go swimming or diving to collect as many underwater pineapples for the ship stores as possible.

🌼 If not on the ship, the crew can sometimes be found at their small cottage on the paladin's leviathan, Elah. The cottage is small but happens to be well kept despite four very unruly and busy teenagers living inside it. They have a small garden growing outside as well as various plants and pots all over the terrace.

And they seem to be preparing to build some kind of new addition to the cottage soon too as there is a pile of stone and wood stacked up outside. And an apple-shaped sheep keeps walking around too. Baaah.

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[ He's a little amused. ]

Not quite. Those are my safe words because if I say anything else, I will influence everyone around me.

[ It is incredibly, exceptionally powerful, and dangerous. ]

I don't know if you can call it a curse itself. It's a cursed technique that I can use, but I was born like this.

[Oh. Oh that makes so much more sense now... Going to have to retract calling him salmon boy now that that's meaningless to.]

Like mind control...?

[Ranma's scratching her chin, jotting down everything in her head and filing it away. Going to have to be careful about that in an actual fight should it come to it. It makes sense why he chose those innocuous words now. Hard to follow an order when 'salmon' is your command.]

That's... cool, I guess. Unless it sucks or is hurting you or anything, in which case I'm sorry?

Edited 2024-03-16 07:00 (UTC)

[ He glances at her and then looks away. ]

Exactly like that. I say a command and it happens. I use my cursed energy to make it happen. It's fine if it's targeted. I'll hit my target and no one else. If it's not targeted, anyone who can hear me could be influenced.

[ Toge tilts his head. That's an odd thing to say. ]

It hurts. There's a backlash to every sound I make. I'm used to it. A couple of months ago I snapped my vocal cords.

[Ranma couldn't help but wonder if this was a serious fight, would Toge had used it on her? All he'd need to do is say 'lose' or something of that manner, and it'd be over and done with before she knew it. Not unless she figured out a way to get around it, though without seeing it in action, she wouldn't know how to.

Eugh, that made Ranma wince and reflexively grab her throat to alleviate a pain that was only imaginary.]

Ouch. [A technique that's revolved around your voice releasing power from it was bound to have some kind of drawback. And if he permanently lose his voice forever, so does the cursed technique...] There's no way to cure it or find some other way to do it without screwing up your throat, is there?

[ If he was sparring with his powers, he would. It's not something he typically does because he's incredibly strong, not just in the type of power he has but he's also at the top of his field, as highly ranked as he can get as a student. His hand to hand combat skills are better than most people's, but not as good as Ranma's. He could improve there.

In a real fight though, it's not his preferred style. He would understand if she was wary. He's used to that. It's more bewildering that she comments on the pain rather than the whole mind control thing.

He responds with a derisive snort. ]

No. It's hereditary. Sorcerers don't usually have active techniques until they're four or five. Cursed speech is different. And if they could get rid of it, they would have. They're trying to breed it out of the clan. I was an unpleasant surprise.

[With her history with mind control, love relics that can make someone go from despising the other's guts to all gaga over them, and items that strip people of their free will and make them a slave to another's whims, Ranma's a little more than wary about knowing someone could make her do as he wants. Even with her bad experiences with mind control though, Toge didn't seem like the kind of person to use something that powerful willy-nilly. Plus it's not like she wants him to tear up his throat so bad, he can't even mutter out a single salmon.

There's clearly some baggage there, especially with the 'unpleasant surprise'. That's rough buddy... Ranma rubbed under her chin, trying to think of what to say here.]

... Izuku brought me along on this ship and promised to help me with my curse. What if we can do the same for yours somehow? Not remove it since you said that isn't possible, but what if we find some way to make it so you won't risk giving yourself laryngitis every time you actually speak?

[It might not be her business to help or in her field of knowledge admittedly, but she still wanted to try. Plus, she did almost drown the poor guy, so she's got to make it up to him somehow.]

[ The good news is that his influence is far more limited than that. It has to be something he can say. Simple, direct commands. He isn't trying to influence anyone, that much is true. He goes to great lengths to avoid it. It's the accidental cursing that really eats at him.

None of this is a secret in the sorcerer world. Not his technique, not the fact his clan is considered outlaws and cursed speech is essentially illegal, and not the fact that he's an unwanted child. It's nothing he feels the need to hide, but he also doesn't really expand on it. ]

I didn't have my cursed speech when I didn't have my tattoo, but the alternative is to be vulnerable and unable to defend myself. I'd rather deal with the drawbacks of my technique than that.

I don't think there's anything like that out there, but I manage things pretty well.

[ Now that he's on board, Toge's habits will likely be noticed and one habit is that he drinks tea frequently. He's also got an endless hot chocolate mug and an endless coffee thermos. ]

[She'd almost consider him lucky his curse was nulled without the tattoo were it not for the fact he run the risk of aphonia. Toge's logic isn't too unsound either. If you need to fight with some power or technique, even if it harms you over time, sometimes you just got to do it in order to survive.]

Good point. Can't say your hand-to-hand skills are anything to write home about either. So yeah, you'd be completely powerless in a real situation.

[Sorry Toge, she's not good at tact.

Oh? Endless thermos you say?]

[ His ability to speak and make proper sounds is completely underdeveloped. He's never been able to do it, and being without the curse and giving it a shot, it's not surprising that he couldn't then either. Getting rid of his cursed speech doesn't really change him.

His eyes crinkle up with amusement and he's quick to slap a hand over his mouth. He's giggling, but it can barely be heard, and muffled like it is there's no chance that it will influence Ranma. This time, he was quick enough. He stops with a deep breath, looking wildly amused. ]

You sound like Maki. I can beat her, but not often. I think she just delights in throwing us around the field. I'm not even sure Yuta can beat her most of the time.

I train in hand-to-hand, just in case, but I don't really fight like that. The captain on my last ship taught me to use daggers, but I'm an amateur there at best.

[Huh. Someone not getting offended by her blunt and poor choice of words? Only in a whole different world...

Hearing all this, Ranma gave the other teen a smile on her face as an idea came to mind. She may have already offered to a bunch of other people, but there's nothing wrong with a future master getting future students.]

Each day you're free to, about somewhere in the evening, how about you and me continue to train some more? I'm sure I can get you from amateur to passable in no time. I promise I won't almost drown you again.

[It's a joke, though no one could blame Toge for being doubtful.]

[ Sorcerers are not exactly bastions of social skills, him included. He skates by on the fact he's mostly quiet, it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for him.

Amateur in hand-to-hand combat though? Ouch. He still looks amused, despite that. He responds by giving Ranma a thumbs up. He likes training anyway, and anything athletic is good for getting his energy out. ]

Then it's a deal!

[She held out her hand for a shake to seal the metaphorical contract.]

[ Deal. Toge has no complaints, he's willing to let Ranma throw him around for the sake of training. He shakes her hand and nods his agreement. ]

[She gave him a firm shake before standing up with a stretch.]

Now if you'll excuse me, I'mma go take a hot shower. Sea salt isn't a great smell to have on you. Catch you later?

Kelp! [ Toge agrees, see you later Ranma. He waves a little bit to make his point.

He probably should ask about his curse, but nah. It probably doesn't matter all that much. ]

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[semi-open] 💣 they're gonna clean up your looks

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