avalononline | video; un: x; 12/21 (during the Solstice)

Entry tags:

video; un: x; 12/21 (during the Solstice)

[The video opens onto a long shot of singing people dancing around the base of a huge tree. Naked singing people! Not all of them, but many of them, though some are wearing white robes instead of going totally nude. That's right, it's the majestic and emotional climax of the Nicnevin Solstice tradition, apparently being liveblogged by someone who is not participating in the naked musical antics.

The shot holds for a few solid moments, and then the phone camera swings around to a large, muscular man sitting a short distance from the action, under a tree, also naked—except for the black wrap tying up most of his hair. It takes him a second to steady the camera and aim it well at his face, but only a second. He actually seems to be decent at working this thing.

He says:]

So, this is "magic"? I want to understand. This ritual is more than a symbolic gesture of bonding? Is there proof? Or is this simply what people accept?

And if there really is more here than symbolism, how have they done this to us?

[His body jerks in a tiny shiver against the cold—boy does it look cold out there, but he's trying hard not to show it, and with that little tell, he turns off the camera with a flicker of annoyance. Cold!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

what nobody explained all this basic shit to u when u showed up like the rest of us
or are u just stupid

You won't show me your face? I'm disappointed.

eh that sounds like a u problem

anyway its easier like this cuz i dont like fuckin with it but it aint like im afraid to

I simply don't see the point. You have no answer for me, but you also lack dedication to mocking me. Are you only bored? I am as well.

what the fuck "dedication to mocking"? i gotta look u in the eye for that or somethin
maybe ur the weird one ever think of that

I would rather you inform me than entertain me, but if you must persist, try a little bit harder.

I ain't here to entertain ya or anybody else. An' I don't need magic an' shit t' take care of anybody who thinks they can get away with laughin' at me...

[ he did turn the camera on though, to make a point. ]

The way yer goin', I guess the answer is "jus' stupid" then.

[He swaps back himself, with a smile. The typing really is kind of annoying, he's decided. The letters are so small!]

Then why are you here? Perhaps I am stupid! You know nothing of use to me, and you aren't here to entertain me or yourself. Nor even to mock me. I don't know why else you might have introduced yourself, Manslayer.

[ Meanwhile, Ritsuka's got a cup of cocoa and appears to be very comfortably curled up somewhere that is inside, nice and warm. Her sweater is fuzzy. She's just exuding maximum cozy right now.

And she blinks slowly, like a mildly bemused cat. She saw that, right? She definitely saw that. ]

Sorry, I've got no idea. But, uh, you might wanna dress more warmly than that, mister.

[He has never been more envious of a human than he is right now. But he's not going to cop to that! He's even colder because he hasn't eaten, though, so the thought of whatever warm drink that is . . . alas.]

I'm hardly the only one. They say it's part of the ritual. Many rituals are like that. I must give them my respect for braving the cold, if nothing else.

Ohhhh, you're at that thing... that was your first mistake right there.

[ There's a veritable little mountain of marshmallows in this cup. Ritsuka likes her cocoa to be half-solid, let's be frank. ]

Like, good on people who want to participate, but I'm not fond of freezing my butt off if I can avoid it.

[That gets a chuckle out of him. This whole thing does come off as one big mistake that a lot of people made and are continuing to make! He can't even exclude himself!]

Then you feel no obligation to join? Is it so unimportant? I have no reason to subject myself to all that, but many disagree.

I dunno about unimportant, but I didn't wanna do it, so I didn't.

[ She's almost chirpy as she says it. She didn't want to, so she didn't! Simple as that. ]

Given the way that thing started? I feel like that's a little too high-level for me. I'll just be home support this time around.

And how are you doing that?

[This tone is kind of hedging its bets on whether it's mocking her or not, because she could actually be doing something somehow. He doesn't fucking know! All of this is ludicrous!]

I don't know how it started, either. Context is sorely lacking. You see why I might be confused.

They usually give people like us a crash course in the stuff that's going on. But all the rituals and stuff? I think that's just a kind of "learn as you go." I'm not the exposition friend, unfortunately.

[ She's the friend who's fishing out a partially-melted marshmallow out of her drink to eat it. ]

I figure if any of my friends come back frostbitten, I'll make them cocoa. Or coffee, if they want that instead.

[Dammit, he's hungry. He curls his lip a tiny bit at the little bit of fluff, because even that looks appetizing, but that's all he's (not) going to say about that!]

So I had gathered. Little of this was explained in a way I found satisfactory. I can at least prove my own "magic" with my own hands, but this ritual? Why believe in it? I had hoped someone could give me an answer to that.

I think you'd be better off asking someone who actually lives here... or maybe one of the people who go to the school? I dunno. Why is any belief important? If they think it'll do something positive, what harm will that do?

[ Is that getting too serious? Maybe. Time to deflect by drinking more cocoa. ]

The harm is in complacency. If we take actions we only believe will work, based on faith, we see no need to strive for the truth of what will really better our situation.

[This time, the curl of his lip is a small, chilly smile, as brisk as the night air out here tonight.]

Of course, what they do with their time matters not to me. It's my own I'm concerned with.

It sounds like you're a little concerned...

[ Ultimately, though, it's not her business (yet? yet; maybe if they become friends it will be). Ritsuka shrugs, unworried. ]

Most of the people native to this world don't seem to have their heads in the clouds. Not any worse than people you'd meet anywhere else. So I think it's pretty safe to let them have their fun with the snow. I don't get it, but not everything's gotta be for me.

As I said, I'm hardly concerned if they're wasting their time.

[He waves his hand. Pshaw! Like he cares about what the humans . . . okay, not all humans, not by a longshot. The mortals? He's one now too . . . the population is doing. But:]

What I'm looking for is information. If these are nothing but cultural bonding activities, I have no reason to bother with them. If they have a real effect, I do. I think that's quite simple.

What if it's delayed? Because they're doing something now, it'll matter later? A, what's it called--the butterfly effect? A butterfly flaps its wings, and on the other side of the world, a hurricane appears because of it?

[ That's the right thing, isn't it? Ritsuka's knowledge is such a strange patchwork at this point; half the time, she doesn't know if what she knows are real things she's read or learned, or things that she's intuited and cobbled together from lectures. ]

But even if they're "just" cultural bonding activities, what's wrong with that? Who wants to be alone all the time?

[Holy shit, this guy is like... ripped. He also seems kind of intense? The question is sensible enough, though.

Rei opts to respond with text, because he is also at the Solstice event (and um, questionably clothed,) and the chance that this high-strung guy could somehow spot him and come running to do god knows what is more of a risk than Rei is willing to take.]

When you put it that way it is pretty fucked up how this place digs into us, right? Invasive.

The inability to understand how exactly it works is what makes it "magic," imo. It has rules and rituals and shit, but there's a limit to the explanations. Otherwise, it'd be science.

Yes. But someone does understand. Someone understood the rules well enough to mold our bodies and minds into forms that act within these parameters, instead of those we came from. That would require a complete understanding of how "magic" works.

And none of you share that knowledge?

[He's not surprised, just disappointed.]

Not to that extent. We're all magic peons atm. lol

[Rei would consider himself at least a middle-class magic user at this point, but. Details]

Still, I think you'll find there's a lotta shit you can do with magic without fully understanding it. Surely you haven't gotten this far without using whatever types you wound up with, right?

[He looks at "lol" and "atm" for a moment with a frown, just like he had at "imo" last time, but he'd thought that one was a fluke. What do they mean?? Aren't they all speaking the same language here, somehow? Lol isn't a word! He'll just have to learn them from context if they're new words . . .

Anyway, after that, he switches on the video again to hold up the camera and demonstrate: a string of brightly glittering, rainbow light threads between the spread fingers of his other hand. Ooooh!]

But this is the power of an ant, or a pebble. This is nothing. As for the second, I've not found it yet. And we have only two of these . . . classes?

[poor Kars... ancient being temporarily hampered by SMS conventions....

Anyway-- hmm, that looks like... light type? Rei only knows a few people with that personally... but it has its uses.]

That's right. Actually, we started out with just one at first. The second class cropped up later, after some more ritual development shit. So-- assuming that continues-- maybe you can fulfill your dreams of reshaping reality in a year or two.

[LMAO yeah right]

[He grins widely at that response before turning off the camera again, because he's done with his demo, and while the texting is kind of annoying, it's even weirder to read texts on camera, or keep flipping it on and off while he reads.]

You see? I wasn't told any of this. That sounds very relevant. You had one, and now you have two. It only makes sense that more might be forthcoming.

Why would anyone have needed to intervene for us to have magic? Can't it just be the nature of people from other worlds upon setting foot here. Some things just are, you know, magic?

Because the second you leave this place, you'll be back to exactly what you were before here.

[ One more thing. ]

And just because they asked you to strip doesn't mean you have to. Also doesn't mean you have to share with the class that you decided to do it, too.

I saw no reason to refuse.

[He shrugs, just barely. He was already hardly wearing anything when they asked, so, eh! Here he is! Freezing, but that part is hard for him to swallow. Kars isn't used to not being able to just shrug something like a little winter off yet . . . and it sucks.

But that aside, this is interesting, and new.]

But this is exactly what I'm asking. You're saying it was not a person, but the planet itself that twisted us? That's certainly possible. But I have no way of knowing which of those things is the truth, and if someone does, I want to hear it. This is the first I've heard anyone describe what might happen when we leave.

You're gonna lose your extremities.

It's hardly that cold. Unless that was a threat, in which case I can only wonder what I did to deserve it.

[So soon!]

You know, I'm not sure! It could've been a threat. What will you do about it if it is?

[When in doubt, take the ~~violent~~fun route!]

Consider it a waste of time. What else is there to be done with it? I can't think of a thing.

Unless I follow through on it! Then you would be short an arm or two.

I underestimated how bored all of you are this evening. No dancing and singing in the nude?

You wouldn't want to see me doing that, trust me.

But I am bored, you're right.

I have little interest in seeing anyone do that, so on that, I do trust you.

Do you not have an answer to my question? I want to hear more of magic. Why not entertain yourself by being helpful?

Really? There are some I wouldn't mind seeing~

Is being helpful entertaining? I'll have to think about it.

Does Dark Magic interest you?

All magic interests me. Dark magic may not be one of my disciplines, but that's only a temporary condition.

[It is though?!

He just ignores the first part. Dark magic! Onto the dark magic!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

video; un: x; 12/21 (during the Solstice)

text; un: manslayer

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

and then he swaps to video because... he's just that easy

we love the man

video | un: maruchan

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

text; un: mcmm

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

video; un: adler

no subject

[Text; UN: DemonsandSugar]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject