video | un: wisdom

[glossophobia]

[ He probably shouldn't be making this a video, but every day is an endeavor for him to get better at public speaking, so at least it'll be worth it in the long run. Maybe. ]

I... um, h-hello.

[ Rosho's never actually spoken on the network before. It's glaringly obvious. He fidgets. Then fidgets again. ]

I wanted to ask about a problem— ah, or, not really a problem, it's just. I'm not sure what to call it.

[ For those who happen to have animal magic you can hear a faint voice in the background:

RORO! ]

S-so, normally my magic is alchemy. And, I have... death magic too. But since I teach, usually, I help with alchemy practice. At the school. Except when I went to work I couldn't use it anymore. Alchemy I mean.

[ The voice is getting a little louder and more persistent:

RORO! RORO, LISTEN LISTEN!! ]

Instead as I went to work I noticed that, that something was weird. Animals, I... I guess I can hear them now. That's animal magic, r-right?

[ RORO! RORO! RORO!

Rosho trembles, but it isn't from his anxiety this time, as something that looks like a ferret begins crawling up his shoulder. And then there's another one on the other shoulder. And now another one is crawling up the front of his sweatervest. And then there's one on his head, and all of them are making the same chittering sound to those without animal magic, but they're all speaking at once.

RORO RORO, LISTEN LISTEN! TALK TALK, FRIEND! WE FRIEND! SCARY SCARY, GO AWAY! NO SCARE!

They're now trying to climb down his arms in order to get at the communicator he's using, sensing that it's the cause of his stress. Even if the kuda-gitsune are meddlesome chatterboxes, they're still very protective of him. Too bad Rosho does not share their sentiment and honestly looks like he's going to lose his shit in seconds as he talks between grit teeth. ]

H-has anyone's, magic, just... suddenly changed like this? And...

Are all the animals I can talk to, going to be this loud and annoying...?

Comments

video; un: 14th moon

[plenilunium]

[Hello, fellow animal magic user.

It is very hard to ignore the ferrets and he guesses that's the point. They don't want to be ignored, going by how they're talking, but Jyushi thinks they're cute. Which might just be missing the point entirely.]

Your new friends are so cute and friendly! What are their names? Oh, um, what are your names? I should ask you directly...

[Jyushi, you're missing the point. He suddenly remembers.] I didn't know you could change magics like that. It's never happened to me.

[glossophobia]

[ Before Rosho can respond, all at once, the four kuda-gitsune clamoring all over him speak.

EUREKA! ]

No, that's not your name! I named you Archimedes!

[ EUREKA! EUREKA!

Rosho rubs at his temples. ]

Shut up. Your name is Archimedes, that's what I named you.

[ One of the kuda-gitsune addresses Jyushi.

WHO WHO? IS FRIEND FRIEND? FRIEND? LIKE REIREI! YES NO? ]

Stop butting into my conversation— aah, I'm sorry, Jyushi. The moment he figured out I could understand him he won't leave me alone for a second. I've never heard of anyone's magic changing so suddenly so I'm wondering if anyone has a clue about why this happened to me. I really liked using alchemy too... this magic doesn't suit me at all.

[plenilunium]

I'd like to be a friend! [Is he a friend? He hopes so. Rosho's so nice...

But they talk so much it's hard not to talk back to them.] They're really cute! But I wouldn't know why your magic changed? Mine never has but I've only been here for a little while so maybe it just...happens?

But you can have conversations with animals now! They're good listeners and maybe you'll make new friends.

[glossophobia]

Wait, you understand them? You've got animal magic too?

[ RORO! FRIEND FRIEND! IS FRIEND FRIEND? YES NO! ]

I told you to stop butting in! —okay okay, yes, this is a friend. This is Jyushi.

[ All the pipe foxes begin talking at once:

FRIEND FRIEND! JYUJYU IS FRIEND! HI HI!

JYUJYU HI HI!

HI HI JYUJYU! ]

[plenilunium]

[Rosho just made Jyushi's week by calling him a friend. They're friends! Rosho likes him! This is great! ]

JyuJyu! [He loves it.] Hi! [He waves at them.] I do! I really like talking to the animals here. They can tell you helpful things.

But it sounds like they've wanted to talk to you for a while! Isn't that right? You guys really like Rosho-san!

voice | un: octavinelle

[dottedline]

Well, I can't speak for the animals here, but in our Animal Language lessons back home we were always warned not to get a ferret or a fox talking, because then they might never stop. Same with birds. And some fish.

[glossophobia]

[ Never get a fox talking, huh........ Rosho somehow missed that memo. ]

Japanese lore says that foxes are intended to be mischievous, so... I guess they would be noisy. I just didn't expect this guy to be that noisy. It's not even like he's a normal fox. My familiar, it's an animal called a kudagitsune. They're so small that they can hide in bamboo pipes.

For a little thing, he's got a huge annoying voice.

[dottedline]

Perhaps so you know where he is and won't step on him?

[If Azul were anyone else, he'd make a comment about how that's typical for tiny things, like his classmates and small children.]

[glossophobia]

I wouldn't do anything like that.

[ Even if its been tempting... ]

It's really clingy, otherwise it climbs all over stuff. Sometimes it walks otherwise it floats.

[dottedline]

Then maybe he's just happy that you can understand him now?

video| un: astrologistmona

[lunarchain]

Just kick them out? Or place them in cages, some form of confinement? Is it really that loud that you hear them even farther away...? I do know of another Animal speaker, but they never ran into such a problem like yourself.

[ She then says rather firmly, thinking on it. ]

I believe this problem stems from you.

[glossophobia]

[ Why is he being blamed for this!! She seems a bit young so its difficult for Rosho to get as angry as he normally would. ]

I can't do any of that. This one's my familiar. Locking him up is useless anyway.

[ Rosho reaches for the pipe fox on his head, dangling it by the scruff of its neck like a misbehaving cat. Surprisingly it doesn't struggle. ]

Show her the thing where you disappear.

[ His familiar squeaks then does just that, disappearing in a poof of smoke. All the other kudagitsune he'd been surrounded by disappear all at once at the same time.

However, a few seconds later, a single pipe fox reappears on his shoulder. Its tail wags happily. ]

[lunarchain]

[ Mona says a, 'oh i see....' ]

What a unique ability, does the fox know Light magic? Curious, truly that your familiar could do that. Is this something you can do - ah sorry I guess that is beyond the subject. That said maybe.... There are some people who offer lessons in controlling ones magic. I would visit the local taverns, they have boards with information on them of such subjects.

[glossophobia]

I remember kuda-gitsune are able to make multiple copies of themselves, but I didn't know they can just disappear into thin air. I think it's just a natural talent sort of thing.

[ Never has he thought to wish he'd read more about yokai... but he can't stand ghosts or scary things, so he wouldn't have been able to get very far anyway. ]

Visiting the taverns might be a start... and I can always just learn to be better at this new magic, but it happened so suddenly. I would've liked to have been prepared at least.

[lunarchain]

I totally agree and that is the unfortunate thing, especially since the magic of this world responds to ones personality or emotions as well. Often the best first step to controlling ones magic is more or less trying to calm one self down, and find yourself in control of the situation you were placed in.

[ Mona nods her head promptly. ]

There are tons of books as well, and a secret Library at the ends of the forest North east if you are ever interested.

video; un: tachibana_i

[currysseur]

( this is... a lot. she can't understand the chattering, but the video is chaotic enough that Izumi doesn't feel she needs to in order to understand what's going on. )

Our magic can change?

( but first things first, because she's barely getting a handle on Light Magic as it is. she doesn't want to have to go through a whole new learning curve. )

D-did you do anything unusual?

( maybe that's the cause? he tried a new spell or something??? )

[glossophobia]

This is the first time I've ever heard about it, so unless I can find another explanation... I guess so.

[ As he's speaking, he's shuffling his communicator from one hand to the other so the kudagitsune can't get at the screen. ]

You can learn other kinds of magic but it's something that takes a lot of time. I've read up on it but I never thought to actually pick up another one. I just woke up, I went to work, and I started to hear animals.

[ He sighs heavily. ]

I've been here for so long, I was starting to feel really confident in my alchemy... now it feels like I gotta start over.

[currysseur]

( that's so sad. she felt so proud when she achieved her first light construct, she can't even imagine what it would be like to really get to grips with a type of magic and have it yanked out from under you. )

It sounds very difficult. Even one kind of magic is hard to learn, isn't it? ( well, maybe there are people here who take to it more naturally, but Izumi doesn't feel like one of those lucky people. but this isn't about her, even if she is tucking away that information in case it happens again. to her or to someone else. it's about this young man and the way he feels like he's had the rug pulled out from under him.

which is an awful feeling, and though she can think of a lot of reasons to try and see this as a good thing, Izumi also recognises the value of letting yourself be sad about something. she was sad about losing out on her dream of becoming an actor for a long time, and even nowadays she still fights the twinge of envy which threatens to rise when she watches her actors go out on stage, enthralling the audience and receiving their love. )

Sometimes it's good to be upset about things. It shows how much you care about it. If you bottle things up, you won't move past them properly.

( catharsis is good. and this is advice she doesn't follow as well as she should, but this isn't about the things that make her sad. )

[glossophobia]

It depends on the complexity of the magic and whether that sort of thing is something you're used to or not. I know sometimes people end up here that come from worlds that already have magic and powers, but mine's pretty normal. I feel like alchemy's not an easy thing to pick up because you have to remember a lot of symbols and compositions depending on what you want to create.

[ And yet even with it not being an easy magic to pick up, Rosho still managed to enjoy it. As expected of a math teacher. Challenges of that sort have always been really engaging for him, giving him a sense of accomplishment he's struggled to find for a long time. Without alchemy, it's... it feels a bit like he failed at something. Again.

But before the swell of disappointment can wash over him her words strike him clearly. For a complete stranger, she's awfully compassionate, and in that moment Rosho feels just a little bit silly for being so upset.

Her words remind him of something he'd tell his students when they're upset about failing a test or getting a low score. ]

I'm upset, but dwelling on it won't get me anywhere. When you focus too much on the feeling it just turns into a cycle of feeling upset, and being like that for a long time doesn't feel very good. —I hope it doesn't feel like I'm dismissing what you're saying. I actually really appreciate it. I don't usually hear people talk to me the way I'd talk to others when I'm teaching.

[currysseur]

( it sounds like they're from similar worlds, then. she knows that isn't the point, but it is nice to know that someone else from an average world has made it through the vast weirdness of this whole thing and come out the other side, besides Taichi. weird things happened to Taichi, with that whole Prisma??? thing. he's kind of the Mankai sempai now! )

Wow, that's really impressive. ( Izumi isn't the kind of person to just say stuff like that for the sake of it; there's a genuine note of awe in her voice at the fact he studied all of that. learning light magic has been a lot of blind guesswork so far, though that's been a familiar theme in her life recently. ) It's like formulas. Or a recipe.

( which means Omi-kun would probably take a shine to it, right? at least the recipe part. she's not sure about his maths skills.

but that's!! not the main point for now!! it is, in fact, the encouragement she's trying to offer him, and it works, in a roundabout sort of way. )

I get what you're saying. You have to move on, too. ( like she had to move on from acting, and eventually that led her to where she is today. a director. someone who helps others bloom on stage. ) And having new magic doesn't mean you lose the knowledge you gained. You can still help others understand it, even if you don't use it.

( Izumi Tachibana, consummate protagonist, and definitely, definitely speaking from experience there. you don't spend years as a hammy, failed actor without picking up plenty of tips for rookie actors. )

video: un: CrazyM

[grylls]

Not all of them are. You shouldn't be rude to a ferret who is living with you.

[ It'll make cooperating very awkward.. ]

[glossophobia]

I'm not being rude! I'm just— I'm not used to talking to animals, okay? Not like regular people at least!

[ Ignoring the fact his kuda-gitsune clearly doesn't have very good sentence structure let alone grammar. It's more like talking to a child. ]

[grylls]

The will usually stop attempting to befriend you after your first meal together.

[ if you eat meat anyway ]

[glossophobia]

Why would that effect anything?

[ You're going to have to explain this morbid reality to him Riou. ]

[grylls]

Many carnivorous and omnivorous animals will understand. I've found that making pacts with certain species after capture not to eat them has yielded some positive relationships, but unless you intend on going vegan, then you will have a difficult time befriending most herbivores. Particularly birds in your case, as pudding contains eggs.