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video | un: degurechaff

[ A young girl sits at a table in an otherwise nondescript room, her hands folded in front of her in a picture of perfect professionalism. Her white button-down shirt is similarly perfect, not a wrinkle in sight, and tailored to her thin frame. Her gaze into her omni is expressionless — some might call it cold — and her high, childish voice is tempered with the assured enunciation of an adult. ]

Good evening. My name is Tanya von Degurechaff. I'm new here, so I have a couple questions for anyone willing to answer.

First, what kind of job do you currently have? If you don't have one, then I'm also interested in hearing what you did before you arrived here.

Second, are there any jobs or businesses you'd like to see here? I recognize that this is a broad question, but since we come from a broad range of backgrounds, any feedback is welcome.

[ A pause, a stray thought seeming to flicker through her head before she continues. ]

As for myself, I have experience with personnel management, various air-based operations, tactical field research, and administrative work. More broadly, I'm an aerial mage. The business I'd like to see is a coffee shop.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Hmm. As a (reluctant) new member of this community, it would behoove her to contribute to its growth however safely possible. And it's good to have passionate people opening new businesses — she believes this wholeheartedly as a staunch believer in the free market. ]

If you shift your manner of thinking, there may be a more lateral solution. Rather than fixate on technology you don't have, why not innovate with the technology you do have?

In other words, operate your Omni as you normally would a camera, but change up the way you market your photos to the population. You could take inspiration from the way artists display their works in a gallery or how movies are shown in theaters. Temporary installations by design, but still showcasing the permanence of still images.

[ Oh...that's actually a really neat idea! His expression visibly lights up, sitting up a little straighter. ]

Oh, oh! That's a killer idea! Maybe it could even be, like, a whole community thing! Anyone who wants to put a photo up in there could do it. I'm all about showcasing all sides of photography!

[ Given how a great number of his pictures are selfies. Those are their own kind of art! ]

You're really good at this! Can't believe you came up with such a solid idea just on the fly like that.

Hey, hey, from one photographer to another, if you’re serious about setting something up, you should give me a call. It would be great to see something like that, I think, and I’d be happy to help.

[ !! A kindred spirit!! ]

You wanna help? For real? [ He's just kind of blown away by this offer from a total stranger, even if he would do the same if he were in their shoes. ] I-I mean - yeah, of course! The more the merrier! What's your name?

[(spiderman point) PHOTOGRAPHY.]

Absolutely. We’re all strangers in this weird place, so it would probably behoove us all to work together. Besides, I’d like to see what sort of talent a place like this could produce.

[Call him an old man, but seeing enthusiastic young talent just makes his fond mechanical heart so happy.]

Ichimonji Hayato, though Ichimonji is fine. What about you?

Hell yeah! Bet we got a bunch of aspiring photogs just waiting in the wings!

[ And the Omnis make it all the easier to produce and share work. This could take off more than he could have ever hoped. ]

Nice to meet'cha, Ichimonji! Prompto's the name, and photography's my game! ...Obviously.

I wouldn’t doubt it, and think of all the people who just need that one little push to consider picking up a camera for the first time.

[It is good to spread the arts, especially in a dreary place like this.]

Likewise. I’ve been doing some snooping here and there to find out what materials this place has for film development. I can share what I’ve learned if you’re interested.

[ His thoughts exactly. Somewhere like this, it's important to make sure good memories are memorialized in photographs. ]

Really? You already got some leads?! Sure, I'd love to hear what you've got so far! I had noooo clue where to even start with all that.

[ He may be technically inclined, but the technology here is something else completely. ]

I do fancy myself a bit of a journalist, in addition to photography. Which is to say, I’m very good at getting into people’s business.

[Pardon him as he grabs his notebook and flips through a few pages. He’s been hassling people nonstop since he got here.]

So the biggest thing I’ve learned is that most of their technology is actually magic in nature. The chemicals you would need for processing film’s been replaced entirely with blood magic.

[(ooc: I actually hit up the mods about this the other day, if you’d like I can PM you the deets)]

Oh, eugh...really? Well, whatever it takes! I...guess! Sorry, still gettin' used to all the...blood stuff.

[ He's going to need to get desensitized quickly, but he's noooot quite there yet. But if it's in the service of something he loves like photography, that's easier to stomach. ]

So, we'd just need to figure out how to harness blood magic for developing film?

((ooc: sure, that would be great, thank you! c:))

[Hayato gives a good natured laugh about that.]

Right? I admit, I was disappointed to find this out. The blood stuff here is pretty unsettling. But it does explain why I scoured the city trying to find developer and turned up empty handed.

[He isn’t grossed out by blood personally, but there is definitely something sketchy about having to use it for EVERYTHING. Unsanitary, too. Bleh.]

But that’s about the gist of it, yeah. Personally, magic is not something I’ve ever had to dabble in, so I’m a little out of my depth! But once I figure out how to set up a dark room like this, I’ll let you know if I get any results.

[ Magic is definitely something that Prompto has been a witness to, and he's thrown a magic flask or two in his time, but Noctis is the only one actually capable of elemancy. Seeing it and using it are two very different things. It sounds like it'll take them both a fair bit of experimentation to figure out how to get this to work. He may be uncertain about his own abilities, but as long as this is his passion, hopefully he can help at least a little. ]

Great! Y-yeah, please do! And if there's anything I can do to help get it all set up in the meantime, I'm your go-to guy!

[ He may not have a lot to go off of so far, but he's good at following directions, usually! ]

[For all the insanity that is Hayato’s canon, 90% of what he’s ever had to deal with claimed itself science, no matter how absurd. Hayato is fairly certain magic does exist, but boy does he know nothing about it. They were both starting at the ground up, it seems.]

[He grins at Prompto’s enthusiasm. It’s very refreshing to see.]

You’ll be the first to know! My plan is to find a studio to rent. Once I’ve got space, then the real fun begins.

[So he hopes anyway.]

[ He has so much energy. She feels a little like their ages should be swapped. ]

Aha... In some ways, I think creative thinking is a skill. Lately, I've been forced to do too much with too little. Once your brain becomes wired to use things as they weren't intended, you start to see everything a little sideways.

[ She taps her fingers on her desk thoughtfully. ]

Showcasing a photo collective would be a fine community-building exercise. It might force you to work extra hard to make your own works stand out and maintain your marketability, but... well, with your passion, I'm sure it won't be a problem. What subjects do you usually like to capture?

[ To be fair, he can out-enthusiasm almost anyone...it's a special talent(?) of his. ]

Heh - thanks, glad you think so!

[ He's not sure he'll be quite so successful, especially not right away, but, well, he never does things by halves, that' true. He'll work his butt off to make it happen. ]

I'm kind of a jack of all trades? Do everything from a little landscape photography to action shots, to, uh, portraiture. [ Selfies. They're selfies. ] Really, I'm all about capturing memories, and in a place like this...well, uh, it might be nice to capture and remember all the good times in a localized space. Maybe give people a little boost if they need it.

[ She's being generous and interpreting portraiture as carefully composed depictions of other people... may she never be disappointed by the truth. ]

It's true that it's especially important to be mindful of morale in bad circumstances. And it sounds like the rate of attrition is pretty serious... A dedicated documentation of the good that's happened may end up being very important.

[ After all, the world is dangerous enough without her needing to worry about her allies falling into despair and stabbing her in the back. The mental health of Trench could very well correlate to her own physical health. ]

I haven't been here for very long myself, but let me know if there's anything I can do to help. I don't have much experience with artistic photography, but I can at least help with any shots you want to take at height.

[ That makes him all the more eager to get the wheels on this project going, because who knows how soon someone might need it, given the way he's heard things go here. He might've only been here a handful of days, but it didn't take him long to understand this world is an unforgiving one. ]

Oh man, taking pics from the air? Love that idea! You're like your own personal drone! Wish I could do that. Could be neat to get some wide shots of areas of the city. Gloomy as this place can be, it's got some killer architecture!

[ And that too is worth preserving, in case anything happens to it. Though if something were to destroy parts of the city, they would proooobably have bigger things to worry about than photographs. ]

[ Wide shots? Architecture? Personal drone? What an interesting combination of words... The beginnings of an idea start to turn in her head. ]

I have some experience with cameras, but only in a straightforward, point-and-click sense. If you have any pointers to give me, I'm willing to try my hand at more sophisticated compositions.

Oh! Pointers? Well...yeah! I bet I can come up with some.

[ For all he loves to take pictures, and all his experience, he still doesn't quite feel qualified to teach others, like his knowledge is all that special or useful. Still, she asked, so he should try, right? ]

You mentioned the Omni, but got access to any other cameras? Gonna be real, I still don't really know how widespread that kind of tech is here.

... I do have a device called a computation orb. It can record images and videos by magical means, but it comes with the same setbacks as the Omni in terms of printing. Aside from that, I haven't run across any other types of cameras here.

[ The magical technology that makes up an Omni must surely allow for the existence of a magical printer as well?? Though the rules of the world being what they are, the magical printer would frequently be out of magical ink. ]

For the record, the non-magical cameras of my world were... [ She mimics holding a camera in one hand and extending the lens far out front with the other. ] Like an accordion, I guess you'd say.

[ He has absolutely no idea what a computation orb is, but he makes note of the name just in case he comes across one himself. The more camera-adjacent tools he's aware of here, the better. ]

Ooooh, you mean, like, those really, really old-fashioned kind? Or - uh, old-fashioned compared with what I'm used to, anyway! No offense.

[ Though if the Trench has taught him anything so far, it's that the technology he's used to means very little when you're in a different world. ]

Mine's pretty different from both that and the Omni. Check it!

[ He holds up his camera for her to see - it's a fairly standard digital camera with a detachable lens, if a little well-loved for the adventures it has accompanied him on. ]

[ The appearance of the digital camera is a small shock to her system. It's completely nostalgic... which is strange to say about something that should come from the future. ]

W... wow! That's definitely more convenient-looking than what I'm used to. Though... does it run on batteries? Or is it also magical?

Batteries, for now...buuuut I haven't found a way to recharge it yet, so I gotta be careful! So, if you talk to anyone who's passion is to open, like, a magical battery store, let me know. I'll be first in line.

[ There's probably some way he could use his blood magic to do it, but that is way beyond him for now. ]

... Roger.

[ She does understand the pain of humble commodities suddenly being inaccessible. If she finds some scavenged AA batteries up for sale, she'll think about snatching them up for him. ]

I suppose the complications of technology will always be an obstacle here, but aren't there certain rules about photography that should be universal? Regarding lighting and subject framing, for example...?

[ She will wring him for any drop of information she can get... ]

[ Fortunately for her, he loves to talk, especially about something he's passionate about! ]

Well, sure, composition is super important if you wanna look at a picture and go "yeah, that's exactly how it felt to be there in that moment." You dig? But I dunno, I kinda like the real candid photos, too. Sure, they might not look as nice and things are shadowy and unfocused, but that's true to life in another way, too. And the only way to learn what looks good is to shoot a lot of pics that look really, really bad. Take my word for it.

[ ...Is this actually helpful at all? Because now he's just kind of rambling. He's no teacher, he just loves what he does. ]

video | un: degurechaff

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