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541026 No. 541026 ID: a4fbb8

So Mom said that I should be able to make my own voices. Like Nursy is for Mom.

But I don't think I'm doing it right yet.

Dad visited a bit ago, he had an Evildoer lollipop! It was super tastey but I could tell mom didn't want me to have it.

And Nursy took me away like when mom goes to work.

So we played with the ministers. I am getting better at staying small when I don't want to be big. I like giving Mr. 3:00 rides but I cant play hide and seek big.

When Nursy brought me back Dad was gone already, and mom was hiding it..but she was really angry.

She said I had to stay in my room. So here I am. Trying this psudo-partheno-genisis. Talking to my self until I answer.

>….
Expand all images
>>
No. 541028 ID: df5c97

what in the-
big? small?
Evildoer lollipop? What?
>>
No. 541030 ID: 5869f6

Kin' ya explain a little, child? What do you mean being betta' at bein small? Who ar th' ministers? What do yer' parents do? Why's y' mom angry?
>>
No. 541031 ID: 07e3a8

>Talking to myself until I answer
Well, hello. We're talking back, now.

What makes a lolipop an evildoer? Is it a lolipop your Dad took from an evildoer?

What's this being big and small thing? You can change sizes?

I'm leaning no, but just to be sure, this isn't a continuation of "Mom's Fault", right?
>>
No. 541035 ID: a4fbb8
File 137954504106.jpg - (423.47KB , 1280x1343 , opo9838a-1.jpg )
541035

>>
No. 541036 ID: a4fbb8
File 137954508752.jpg - (4.14KB , 104x146 , images.jpg )
541036

>>
No. 541038 ID: a4fbb8

No silly! They are made from evildoers. Mom fights them, that's her job.

Her job makes her cranky and strict though. Sort of like when she talks to dad now days.

I used to play with dad a lot, but I haven't seen him as much lately. He taught me how to turn cold instead of hot. Then my eyes look like the buttons on his coat.
>>
No. 541040 ID: a4fbb8
File 137954593716.jpg - (25.20KB , 252x320 , IMG_1324.jpg )
541040

<s>Is this how you spoiler? No, this is not in the same universe as Moms Fault. Probobly less sex in this one. The Father is a different kind of Evil. Or maybe not evil at all. That will come up.</s>
>>
No. 541041 ID: a4fbb8

>…
>>
No. 541042 ID: 07e3a8

So... you can make yourself big and exploded or small and strong. And hot or cold with shiny eyes.

And you can make voices. You can kind of do a lot of things, can't you? Is that normal where you come from, or are you special?

>lollipops made of evildoers
...that does wonders for the recidivism rates, I'm sure. Hopefully they're not a corrupting agent.

>>541040
For all your formatting needs:
http://www.tgchan.org/kusaba/news.php?p=faq

>>
No. 541054 ID: a4fbb8
File 137955490792.jpg - (50.26KB , 524x402 , pyramid (1).jpg )
541054

Well Mom can do a whole lot more than I can. Like she can be big and small at the same time, and carry people in her big self and summon awesome swords of fire and fly super fast and make lots and lots of servants, and tell stories that come true. Apparently thats part of how I came to be. That's who the Ministers are I forgot to say, they are mom's servants, well the important servants, They are in charge of times of day or pieces of sky, though like clouds and stuff are Her Highness Mehet-Weret's sometimes. That stuff is confusing, and mom and her change the rules all the time anyway, so I just ask.

Mom does say that if I eat too much evil-doer I'll get sick. She told a story about when she did that and it was really gross.

So I am special, but not as special as Mom..and I think Dad too. I mean the servents treat him nice and he teaches me things and he is really really good with his bow. I couldn't bend it at all! Even as my big self..well holding on to the bow when I am big is really hard because I'm all fluffy. Stuff melts or explodes or sinks into me.

But I think even if I had grabbed it as my big self it wouldn't bend.

So I am special compared to like Nanny or the Ministers, but Mom and Dad and their friends are way more special. Not sure about Eclipse, (thats my big brother). He's pretty awesome, but I think mom doesn't like his friends or something.

Nursy has been cleaning up as I meditate, but I think Mom is getting home, the house always gets brighter when she comes back. Which makes sense, it's her house after all, and its basicly her big shape too, but that gets confusing.

Anything you want to say to her?
>...
>>
No. 541077 ID: 4f1dac

You probably should let her know that because you were made to stay in your room so long you've now got different voices in your head. We didn't all come from inside your head, and we know things... from other places. We need to know about how your place works and how you, your family and your world works to help you figure out what to do though.
As far as how to phrase that as specific questions goes, hmm....
"Mommy, what should I try to learn or do by the end of the week?"
Really, I don't have enough experience with shapeshifting and active-visualization reality bending to know what your limits or goals ought to be.
>>
No. 541082 ID: 07e3a8

Hmm. I suppose you want to tell your mom that you figured out how to make your own voices. She said you should be able to, and you did!
>>
No. 541085 ID: f9c57a

Why don't you tell us your name, and your Mom's and Dad's if you know them.
>>
No. 541177 ID: 00b2db
File 137962663867.jpg - (10.27KB , 200x146 , titles titles titles.jpg )
541177

Sure! I am Jasper Irinka, Scicon of the Houses of The Sun.

Mom is Jade Irinka, the Regina Solarus, Angel of the Sun, First amung the Wariors of Heaven at Earth, Comander of the Earth Front, Champion of Heaven, Honored Vetren in Lucifers Banishment, Hero of the Battle at Fire's Cold, Holder of the Infernal Truce at Earth, and Friend of the Court of Locusts..I'm forgetting some more. Somethin about freedom and ...humanity..I think.

Dad..dad..I don't know dad's name actually. He always just says to call him dad. And mom calls him Dear, or Lover, or Light of My Life, or other kissy things. Sometimes he talks on the phone and they call him Comander, or Warmaster, or Lord of Death's Domain, or Headmaster.

I'm not suposed to tell people who my Dad is. Apparently its a big secret that mom and him are going out. I wish the war wasn't happening so Dad could visit more. Sometimes its most of year before I can see him again!
>>
No. 541181 ID: 07e3a8

I didn't realize Jasper was a girl's name.

What can you tell us about this war going on? Who's it between, and why, and how long has it been happening?
>>
No. 541212 ID: 00b2db
File 137963369877.jpg - (170.54KB , 1033x773 , mother in armour.jpg )
541212

Mom's at the door! Butler is opening it up, and there she is! I run up and hug her, and even though her armour I can feel her warmth..and smell her sweat. She's kind of stinky. Probobly because she burned some blood off. She always try's to clean up all the blood, but I can smell the burning.

"Your stinky!" I say teasing about her sweat.

"I bet I am. Mommy had a loong day. Lets get cleaned up and then we can go for a picnic and work on your swordplay."

I wrinkle my nose again. Sword work is tiring, and I never do it quite right, but Mom likes it, and she's so beautiful when she does maybe I can be pretty like that someday.

"Ha! Hoping I was going to let you off on that?" she says throwing me over her shoulder. Pretty soon we are in the bath's when I remember what you said to me. "Oh Mommy! Mommy! I figured out how to make a voice and it wants to ask what I should learn this week."
"Oh good job daughter. You're growing up!" Mom says tweaking my nose. "Well you need practice your swordwork of course. And your calligraphy. And then we can exercise your size changing. I think its about time I started teaching you how to do stuff in the Spirit World too. It's beautiful..but you will have to listen to what I tell you absolutely, because thats where the War is, so its important you learn how to get small so you can hide or run if something happens, but its your proper home. This place is a Fortress."
she makes sure to wash me too. Even though I wasn't stinky! Sigh.

Pretty soon we are getting on our summer dresses, and heading out into Greater Celestia. I don't get what Mom means by saying 'this place is a fortress. It seems pretty open and peaceful to me. The ministers with their beaks, and the blue sky, and the border with lower air..it all seems like .. a park maybe?

Anything you want me to ask her before we go on the picnic?

>
>>
No. 541249 ID: 07e3a8

>how is this a fortress?
>it all seems like .. a park maybe?
Well, parks are kind of... ordered. The grass is mowed, the flowers are in rows, the trees are small and tended, and the animals tend to be small, and friendly.

A park is very different from say, the woods.

In a sense, you could say the park is a fortress that keeps out all the things that would be in the woods, but not in the park. It's designed, cut off, safe.

That's what she means. This world, open as it is, doesn't have everything the rest would.

>Sword
Oh, what kind of sword do you use?

>Anything you want me to ask her?
What is the deal with this war, anyways? What's it about, and why's everyone fighting?
>>
No. 541287 ID: 00b2db
File 137964574649.jpg - (198.30KB , 1024x797 , Spoilers.jpg )
541287

> That's what she means. This world, open as it is, doesn't have everything the rest would.

That..that makes sense I guess.

>Sword

Mom prefers hand and a half swords as her main weapon, but she also says its important to see fighting as a single art. Your sword should be loved, but should also be a tool. She says it will prepare me for leading troops. So we train with many different swords, and even other things sometimes. She says her style is based on English technique, adopted for wings.

"Hey mom, lets eat over there" I say as I am explaining things to you. She carefully studies the spot, and then finally nods carefully. Sometimes I wish she would trust me, or at least not treat everything like there's perfect right answer that I've missed.

We fly over, the winds carrying us. Well more me. Mom could just fly over there even if the winds didn't help her.

Right as she starts to cross her legs and lift up the picnic basket I see dad off in the distance. I am about to wave when I see his face.

His face is cold and angry and its cold freezes me.

My blood feels like ice.

Something shoves me aside I begin to fall.

He has a bow, but where's the arrow?

I look at mother.

There it is. The Arrow. Its in the center of her chest. Her red red blood is pouring out. She's mouthing something to me.

I'm falling the winds refuse to hold me up.

Mothers wings turn red..then the whole world turns black.

Help. Mom. I'm falling..and mom...

Help!

>...
>>
No. 541288 ID: 00b2db

(The spoiler is safe for work)
>>
No. 541289 ID: df5c97

...Now's a good time for a game of hide and seek with Dad. you hide, he seeks, and to win, just get away, get out of this fortress to someplace safe..Mom did tell you about another place to go if something happens here right?
>>
No. 541297 ID: 07e3a8

...your father attacked your mother. That's not good.

First step is calm. Don't think too much about has happened, or why. You don't have time for that now, and you can't afford to panic, or let your emotions take control. You need to act, now. We can feel later.

It's likely that he will come to take you now. Evading him is going to be difficult, since he's used to what your mother taught you, and he knows what he's taught you.

I'd lean more on your mother's tricks than his. And if you know anything that you came up with on your own, or that you never showed him, that would be even better.
>>
No. 541298 ID: 00b2db
File 137964865389.jpg - (19.86KB , 500x625 , falling!.jpg )
541298

Oh, Cneph, I am falling.

falling.

Sometimes I would fall for fun.

This is not fun this is scary.

Mom. Mom is not suposed to die. Angels are not suposed to die. But its dark. Like I can see these weird dots in the sky.

Hiding. Oh Cneph. Hiding would be good. I oh, I don't like the dark! I don't like it at all!

Oh the winds don't have beaks anymore! Now they are naked boys!

And now they..they..I can feel wind, but its not people. It's just air.

What's going on!
>>
No. 541300 ID: 00b2db

SPLASH
>>
No. 541301 ID: 07e3a8

>What's going on!
If I had to guess, you've gone someplace else. Outside the park. Either because your mother pushed you to try and get you away after she was attacked, or because the park is part of her and it went away or was damaged when she was hurt.

>splash
...have you landed? Can you swim? What are your surroundings, now?
>>
No. 541304 ID: 00b2db
File 137965003395.jpg - (74.80KB , 580x386 , The-Night-Sky-by-Eric-Hines-580x386.jpg )
541304

Uhgh..air. Theres air and cold water and something that feels like dry bread crumbs but is wet, and the water is moving in little bumps that go splish and I can barely see at all. Even the moon looks super bright!
And theres all these weird dots in the sky and a like splash of milk or something on the sky.
Okay..okay..Mom said to find the Locust Court, and you can find it between dog statues.
Or between to things named after dogs.

But I can't remember how to get in. And I can almost not see.

All I can tell is I am next to a lot of water on one side, and a big...bit dark thing. I..I don't think I am in the sky anymore.

What..what is Dad doing? Why? I..calm down. I need to find the court.

I crawl on the wierd crumbs. Away from the water. Dogs live on land right? Why is everthing so salty..is it moms blood? No it doesn't really taste like blood..don't panic. Don't panic.

I am totally panicking.

I can't see shit!

I try to find something to hide next to, getting a little away from the water.

I ..I think this is called a tree? And this thing is a bush.

(1/2)
>>
No. 541312 ID: a4fbb8
File 137965496086.jpg - (3.52KB , 150x150 , NightRainbow-003-150x150.jpg )
541312

*vomit* Pretty rainbows. Too much evildoer?
*vomit* fire? Bush fire. Fire tickles. Blood.
Hurt. Growing? Tired? Tired. Big. No..bigger.

Resourses needed for Jasper's mind are being detoured.
Please wait until the emergency measures can be suspended. Estimating a 8 hour wait. Messages will be read when mental function is restored.

>…
>>
No. 541314 ID: 07e3a8

>Or between to things named after dogs.
...the dog star, maybe? Sirius? It's a binary system. Two stars.

>I can't see shit!
Can you change your eyes to make yourself see better in these circumstances? You could make your eyes cold, before.

>weird crumbs
Sand?

>why is everything salty?
You probably landed in salt water. Big bodies of water (seas, not lakes or ponds) tend to be salty.

>panicking
Calm. You cannot afford to panic, now. Deep breathes, relax. Worry about what happened, and why, later. Focus on the present, for now. Figuring out where you are. What to do. Fuctioning, survival.

>vomit / blood / hurt / repair
Uh, you feeling all right?
>>
No. 541388 ID: 6f1b54

>>541312
>Calm. You cannot afford to panic, now. Focus on the present, for now. Figuring out where you are. What to do. Functioning, survival.

>Hurt. Growing? Tired? Tired. Big. No..bigger.
Hopefully no one will be accidentially crushed while we are offline.
>>
No. 541398 ID: a4fbb8
File 137977812143.jpg - (39.06KB , 700x445 , 700_remodelista-nick-noyes-09.jpg )
541398

"Ugh..cold" Jasper mumbles tossing off something that was covering her, keeping the heat from her skin.

"I guess you need sun light more then blankets." A voice says.

Sleep falls again.

Jasper wakes again, in a small bedroom. She's clad only in her panties and has set herself sideways on the bed to soak up the sunlight.

On a chair is a woman with big furry triangles coming out of her head, and no ears where you and mom have them. She's seems to be holding a tiny piece of metal and Jasper's dress and is moving it back and forth.

Voice? Are you there? Oh..messages..hm.
>>
No. 541400 ID: 07e3a8

Yes, we're here.

>needs sun
You're solar powered? Makes an odd kind of sense.

>cat eared woman
Hello? Try and find out who she is, or where you are, or how you ended up here.
>>
No. 541403 ID: a4fbb8
File 137978150164.jpg - (16.23KB , 400x402 , 20120305_mailreply.jpg )
541403

>...the dog star, maybe? Sirius? It's a binary system. Two stars.
That would work probobly. It's one of those places with lots of ways there. Even normal or evil humans can get in if they need to.

> Can you change your eyes to make yourself see better in these circumstances? You could make your eyes cold, before.
Ohh. Good idea. I will have to try that!

>Sand?
Why is that there? Seems annoying. It was itchy.

>You probably landed in salt water. Big bodies of water (seas, not lakes or ponds) tend to be salty.

hmm.

>panicking Calm. You cannot afford to panic, now. Deep breathes, relax. Worry about what happened, and why, later. Focus on the present, for now. Figuring out where you are. What to do. Fuctioning, survival.

Yeah. I..I think I am calm now.

>vomit / blood / hurt / repair Uh, you feeling all right?

Yeah. Now I think I am. I .. I really want Mommy.

>>541312 >Calm. You cannot afford to panic, now. Focus on the present, for now. Figuring out where you are. What to do. Functioning, survival.

Okay. That makes sense. The road to Heaven still starts at your door step.

>Hopefully no one will be accidentially crushed while we are offline.

Its weird I remember feeling like I got big..way big, but I don't remember getting small again.
>>
No. 541415 ID: 6f1b54

>>541403
>I don't remember getting small again.
That would be one thing to ask your current caretaker then. Those triangles on her head are probably ears by the by. The piece of metal is used to smoothen clothes.

Let the creature know you are awake. Thank her for taking care of you, be polite. Get your bearings, are you whole once more? Contemplate the best way to heaven. Have you been kept a secret by your mother? In that case going back might not be the best choice, though you still need to find out what exactly happened.
>>
No. 541420 ID: 07e3a8

Thing to do is probably talk to this person, right now. You don't know who they are, but presumably she helped you.

Not sure how much you should let on of who or what you really are, or how much she already knows.

>got big, without getting smaller
...that raises the question of what scale you normally operate on. Your huge might be child sized to the person you've found yourself with. Kind of hard to tell, since size is relative.

Unless you can describe your large and small in terms of absolute constants.
>>
No. 541534 ID: a4fbb8
File 137984799675.jpg - (84.27KB , 400x533 , MinaOfTheBentenmaru.jpg )
541534

> Let the creature know you are awake.
Jasper sits up, nervously saying "I'm awake now."

"So you are. You want some clothes or do you want to keep sunbathing. I kept trying to cover you but I guess you needed the sun." The woman says in language Jasper's never heard before but has no trouble understanding.

"I .. I think some clothes would be nice" Jasper replies looking around.

"Well I am not quite done fixing up your dress, but I have a shirt and shorts Yuuki donated. You should thank him. We are short on clothes with all the newcomers." She says turning around and pulling a rough white shirt and a pair of denim shorts out of a basket. She walks over and lays them next to me. Once on me the clothes look incredibly cource and ugly, like somesort of failed attempt at armour.

> Thank her for taking care of you, be polite.
"Our Highness recognizes your service to Our person, Her Divine Grace would be proud." I say in full Court True Tongue.

"Uhh..thank you I think. I'm Minna, of the Bentenmaru. Not that that means anything here. You know your name? Or should I just call you Ginger?" Lady Bentenmaru replies.

> Get your bearings, are you whole once more?
I think so. I hurt and felt weird, I still feel a little weird but, well, I think that's just because I'm a little scared and want to get back to mom, and these clothes are scratchy.

> Contemplate the best way to heaven.
Mom and I lived in Celestia, aka The Houses of the Sun. Heaven is where mom grew up, but she says that serving the voice of Cneph that is the Song of Heaven, means making every world a Heaven. Also I wouldn't be let in because I am not an Angel.
> Have you been kept a secret by your mother?
I'm not sure. Her friends know me, but she doesn't like tour with me outside of Celestia. Dad though -is- a secret.

> In that case going back might not be the best choice, though you still need to find out what exactly happened.
I just want her. I'm scared of all these new and weird things. Like sand and shorts.

> That would be one thing to ask your current caretaker then.

"hmm..was ..was I a big ball of fire and magnetic force when you found me?" Jasper asks struggling not adjust her clothes futilely, again.

Lady Bentenmaru blinks. "Apparently the winds are bringing in more 'outside dust' then ever, and that's making people have weird dreams."

> Those triangles on her head are probably ears by the by. The piece of metal is used to smoothen clothes.
She must have good hearing then.

> Not sure how much you should let on of who or what you really are, or how much she already knows.

err..oops?

>got big, without getting smaller ...that raises the question of what scale you normally operate on. Your huge might be child sized to the person you've found yourself with. Kind of hard to tell, since size is relative.

Hmm. No, this is definatly my small body made of flesh and chemical bonds, not my big body made of fire and electromagnetic fields.

>…
>>
No. 541540 ID: a4fbb8

(You would not belive how long it took to find a picture of an adult nonchibi catgirl with clothes on)
>>
No. 541564 ID: 07e3a8

>err..oops?
Uh, that's okay. From her responses, she doesn't seem to know about the court, heaven, or powers and stuff. Or if she knows those things exist- they're distant to her, she doesn't know the truth or the details.

I think she might be, well, mortal. Normal. As in, she's always that size, always in that body, and doesn't know about heaven or people who can do things like you can.

You've fallen to earth. Or an earth, at least. Lots of globes in the sky, after all.

...it might be wise not to do anything impossible around these people. Both because you might harm them, and because laying low, posing a mortal / non-celestial might be a good idea. After all, your father might be looking for you. Or others who might mean you harm.

>We are short on clothes with all the newcomers.
That's worth following up on. A lot of new people have arrived recently? Not just me?

>outside dust
Another thing that might be worth asking about.

>thanks / name
Yes, you should probably thank her for her help.

...I don't know if we want to give her your real name, either. If we're on the run, and hiding at the moment, a pseudonym might be a good idea.
>>
No. 541575 ID: 4f1dac

In a situation like this your knowledge of the local world is comparable to having had amnesia for someone that originated in it. Suggest you say you can't remember what your name is and if there's a customary way to get a new one here. It's also worth knowing what obligations are expected from us in exchange for the favours we have been done: Is it charity or are we expected to repay kindness with kindness and service with service? Or worse, has our arrival without status in their society led to us becoming a slave in it since we have no claim to higher status (yet) in their laws?

Avoid displaying powers or engaging violence unless absolutely necessary: This is both to hide from father (and whatever made him do what he did, which we don't know) and also because violence is a bad way to get people to want to help you.
>>
No. 541702 ID: a4fbb8
File 137994230343.jpg - (95.12KB , 600x240 , levis-jeans-shorts-cut-offs-a.jpg )
541702

"You decided on a name yet?" Lady Bentenmaru prompts as Jasper consults her voices.

Jasper shakes her head. "No I..I think I have amnesia?"

"Maybe. Well you got red hair. So I'm going to call you Ginger. Had a cousin named that. Dumb as a box of rocks. Try to be better then she was okay?" She says walking towards the door.

"Okay? If..if I decide on a name is there something I have to do?" Jasper asks.

"Tell people. Maybe change you bank account once you got one of those. They also keep a record of your old and new signature so you don't have to resign any contracts or deeds. It's mostly for when people get married, or adopted."

Jasper nods.

"Well dinner is almost ready if my nose is working. You up for coming and eating?" Lady Bentenmaru asks, holding open the door.

Jasper nods and follows her into the hall way.

Jasper nods to the voices. "So there's lots of newcomers?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm one too, only been here 6 months." Lady Bentenmaru . "When Jade Irinka, the Old Sun died..." Lady Bentenmaru doesnt seem to notice Jasper freezing up or the way her eyes roll over changing from gold to silver. "...the void boiled and washed over world after world. Places real and imaginary both forgot which they were. It looked like it would drown everthing but then the new sun rose and Town at least gained a balwark against the confusion that the boiling void. Used to be world's countless as the stars, but now, now theres just Town, and the Outside. Used to be town was just a culdesack, a rest place, now its all we got."
Jasper nods, her walk changed to the regemated march her father used.

Lady Bentenmaru shrugs. "Or so Entropy II, says, over in Horizon. People here, in Fortitude, on the Docks. We just live one day at a time, simple like. But there is a lot of newcomers from all sorts of places."

She turns around and sees Jasper. "Oh ..Hon, I can be such an idiot." she says and awkwardly hugs Jasper. "Ginger, you don't have to be strong. Its okay to cry."

"You had to tell me. It was nessary. It won't bring her back." Jasper replies her voice cold, resigned.

"Your family might show up. It has happened." Lady Bentenmaru says tightening her hug.

"No. She's not going to. I just have to move on. What debt do I owe for your care?"

"Debt? All we did was keep you warm and give you some food and water. You healed yourself just fine these past months."

It appeares that my estimate of my healing time was wrong.

>…
>>
No. 541722 ID: 07e3a8

...I'm sorry. I wish we'd had a chance to know her better. No child should have to lose a her mother.

>reality fell apart
Ah. Right idea, wrong scale. It wasn't just the park that fell apart without her control, it was sort of everything.

>three months
Honestly, mistaking a perception of time is a small matter, now. Although I suppose it's good that you were incapacitated for that length of time and no one from heaven or otherwise found you.

>new sun
Do you have any idea who that might be? Was there a line of succession, or hierarchical power structure? Who would take your mother's place if she weren't there?

>Debt?
You should, at the very least, offer her thanks for her care.
>>
No. 541751 ID: 97b232

>>541702
Do you know what the normal proceedings are when a Sun or equivalent governing force dies? Could you feeling how you grew and got bigger and bigger mean that YOU are the new sun, automatically taking your place after your mother's demise? I recall you mother being both small and big at the same time in two different places, could the same have happened to you?

For now let's stay low. Follow the cat, be friendly, don't use the Court True Tongue or anything else common folk are unlikely to have access to. If you have a moment of rest, try to feel out to the sun, how does it feel?
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No. 541777 ID: b11a46
File 137997983281.jpg - (24.20KB , 210x210 , Ukha.jpg )
541777

> ...I'm sorry. I wish we'd had a chance to know her better. No child should have to lose a her mother.

I’m glad I knew her. Eventually everything ends. I wonder how much time I have left.

> Ah. Right idea, wrong scale. It wasn't just the park that fell apart without her control, it was sort of everything.
I knew she was important, but she must have been even more important than I thought.

>Honestly, mistaking a perception of time is a small matter, now. Although I suppose it's good that you were incapacitated for that length of time and no one from heaven or otherwise found you.
Heaven would be okay I think. Unless they blamed me for Dad’s actions which they might be right to do so.

> Do you have any idea who that might be? Was there a line of succession, or hierarchical power structure? Who would take your mother's place if she weren't there?

I have an older brother who is around somewhere. Most of her titles would go to another Angel eventually. (or to another Imperator of Earth.) I think.

> You should, at the very least, offer her thanks for her care.
Yes I should.

> Do you know what the normal proceedings are when a Sun or equivalent governing force dies? Could you feeling how you grew and got bigger and bigger mean that YOU are the new sun, automatically taking your place after your mother's demise? I recall you mother being both small and big at the same time in two different places, could the same have happened to you?

Normally there just wouldn’t be anymore Sun. Mom sometimes talked about friends or coworkers of hers that had died, like Ur-Serfin who was the color ‘drund’. Even she had trouble remembering what ‘drund’ was like, her memories keep puting red or green in its place, and Ur-Sefin was the one where she could at least say what kind of thing he ruled. So normally..normally the very concept of a Sun would become strange and unthinkable.

> For now let's stay low. Follow the cat, be friendly, don't use the Court True Tongue or anything else common folk are unlikely to have access to. If you have a moment of rest, try to feel out to the sun, how does it feel?

Jasper looks intently out a window of the staircase she is walking down, raising her arm to sit in the sunbeam cast by it.

I Think I can feel it a bit. Maybe make its heat feel a little warmer or cooler on my skin? Oh. We seem to be here.

Jasper has arrived at a room with a large and long table, one that could comfortably seat 12 people. 15 are currently sitting at it.

“Greetings.” Jasper announces, her silver-eyed coldness of inevitability still clinging to her maner. She gently pushes her self onto the table side with less people when Lady Bentenmaru gestures for her to do so, and then follows her. There is just barely enough space for jasper to move her arms.

“Oh! Good! The miko said you might wake today.” The woman with hair that looks like its turning to ash, and strange lines in her face that you are squished into says, even as she moves a soup bowl before you and dumps in a strong smelling broth with lots of..things in it. Something stringy and green, and something that looks like a fish head.

Jasper nods. Everyone at table says “<Ikidakimasu>”, while someone grumbles “Ukha again?” as they descend on the soup with forks and spoons, gobleing down bowl after bowl.

Jasper frowns.

Is this what mother meant when she said mortals are gross?

She recites at quick prayer to the Light of Heaven, and then carefully eats the soup one bite at a time.

After a while she notices that someone has refiled her bowl.

And again.

And now everyone else is finished but the woman has put more soup in-front of you.

Should I stop? I don’t really feel different from when I started. This is kind of relaxing though.

>...
>>
No. 541778 ID: 07e3a8

>normally there would be no more sun
Maybe the sun was too important a concept. Things fell apart without a sun- the world couldn't go on without it, like a color. So someone has to fill the void or everything would end.

>brother
How well do you know him, actually? Did you have the same father, or is he all angel?

>ashen hair, squished face lines
Signs of age. She's old, at least by human standards.

>might be okay if heaven found you
...maybe, but I'm wary. Your father was a secret for a reason, and your mother kept you away from the other angels. I suspect some of the angels would not look kindly on a halfbreed, especially after what has happened.

Not that I trust your father's people, or your father, either. I'm not sure where you have to turn.

>food
Huh. So you don't need to eat? Or their food just doesn't do anything to fill you. (If it's the later, that may be problematic. We'd have to find proper sustenance).

...I wouldn't keep going. I have the suspicion you could keep going until you exhausted all they had to no benefit. No reason to make yourself stand out, or tax their resources needlessly. Politely refuse another bowl (I wonder why they kept refiling? Is this one of those cultures where you're supposed to leave something on the plate to show you couldn't eat anymore?).
>>
No. 542016 ID: e5fbd1

>>541777
Eat what food is currently in your bowl, when someone moves to refill it, say you had quite enough.

Ask who the miko is. If she knew you would regain consciousness today, she might know other stuff about you too.
Next step is to find out what people do around here. Are there any long-term goals, now that most worlds have died? Do you have any special abilities in your small body?
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No. 542265 ID: a4fbb8
File 138024882590.jpg - (285.72KB , 600x409 , RGonsalves_WidowsWalk.jpg )
542265

(Italics are thoughts directed at you.)

Jasper looks at the bowl and then looks up. "No, thank you? I think I'm full?"

"After the amount you ate I'm not surprised." Lady Bentenmaru says.

She looks surprised.[i]

"Well, Ginger. Lets go see what cleaning is left, then I can show you around this place a bit. That okay, Evgeniya?" Lady Bentenmaru asks the woman with ashen hair.

"Yeah. Thats a good idea. But wash her bowl and put the pot in the fridge. The leftovers will make a good breakfast." Evgeniya replies.

"Right. Come on kiddo." Lady Bentenmaru says. Jasper frowns slightly.

[i]It feels strange to be called something like that by someone other than Mom or Dad. Even Nursy was somewhat reserved. But no point in making a fuss.


"Thank you. Both for the meal and your prior care of me." Japser says, somehow being able to speak in their language back to them.

It doesn't take long for Jasper and Lady Bentenmaru to clean the remaining dishes and get the leftover soup into the fridge.

Once finished Lady Bentenmaru takes Jasper up to the roof and points out the landmarks of Fortitude.

To the east is Big Lake (which is really a small sea) with it’s mystic pathways to other oceans, and Little Island, a tiny farm community where nothing happens durring the night, a voice narrates events, and theres a temple to Jade Irinka. A twice a day ferrey takes people to and from each day.

The buildings near the shore where shipwrights and fishmongers set up shop. Then the houses where the sailor families live. Farther because they work on the water not the shore.

Then the Market where land-food comes from the south, the easiest path to the Walking Fields where the mostly human descendants of the children of the Giants that once ruled Town live, and forest animals talk.

Near the center of Fortitude, due west from where you are is the Hayashi's and their glass shop, and Baker street which also has a dessert shop and a pasta makers, and a brewery. To the North is Proffesor Hayashi’s Archive, which looks like it could fold up and turn into a ship. The hills that have the kichi pools, and hide thee rest of Town proper.

To the North West is the candy-shop shrine of the Watanabe's, right on the edge of the hills. Maple Hill, just a little way south, and covered with houses, is capped by the outside-dust drugged incense greco-shinto temple of the Yatskaya family friends of cats and callers of spirits.. Many of the families there work in Horizon or Arcadia which are over the hills proper to the west.

Just on this side of those hills are the Kichi pools, run by another shrine family, and the distant shrines of the Susonove’s who can see into dreams, and guard town from delirium and storm.

The forest clustered around the mid-heights of the hills is mostly owned by the Vasily who are given to forces of nature at birth, and there by intercede between Town’s human and natural sides

With each of these places she points out other landmarks near them, and what streets connect them.

She points out each of those in turn and then Jasper asks about the dots of light in the sky, and she says they are stars, and very important to navigation. The Bear points to the north star which stays still in the sky.

She continues pointing to star after star connecting them into constellations that tell stories about her home. She says different places have different stories about them but the same stars light each people’s way.

Its nice being up here.

>...
>>
No. 542289 ID: f45380

>She looks surprised.
She knows more than she's letting on? Either she knows who/what you are and that you shouldn't really be full, or she expects someone who's been in a coma for months to need more food.

>a temple to Jade Irinka
I wonder if we should visit that, later. Pay respects to your mother, and all. Although that place probably holds a bigger risk for your being recognized or found out in some way.

>stars
Have you never seen them before? You know what stars are right? They're distant suns- balls of fire, plasma and electromagnetic energy large enough to dwarf worlds. Like your large body, I think.

>Its nice being up here.
Mmhm.

I wonder where we go from here. Do we stay? Do we hide? Run? Try to find our way back to Heaven? I suppose we don't have to decide, now.
>>
No. 542341 ID: 0a4c7c

Just because it will come up at one point or another: Don't change into your big form near these people. They prolly wouldn't survive that.

Say, did your mom have many relatives? I'd expect you to know about stars given that a sun is just another way of describing a star.

Things we should do in no particular order:
>Talk with the miko who predicted your awakening.
>Visit the shrine to our mother.
>Find some kind of work. As a child not much will be expected of you but helping those who helped you is polite and working together is a great way to socialize. It's important to form a friendly connection to those you are around.
>Search for leads to find out more about what happened. Maybe some of the shrines know more.

You could combine the last three by visiting the shrine to your mother. They most likely know more of what happened and working there could give you important connections.
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No. 542377 ID: d26c2a

Oh, huh, you're using this setting? Heh, I idly pondered running something set in Town, though I'm currently prioritizing Blasphemous Friends. Also, hi, I remember your old quests. Mom's Fault, especially, was one of the text quests that inspired me to finally start my own.

The suggestion to visit your mother's temple does seem reasonable. There's the potential of recognition, yes, but you were still kept pretty isolated. And there's a lot you don't know about the situation.
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No. 544364 ID: b11a46

[spoiler]I have the next post almost writen out.
Sorry for the wait, had a death in the family and ran out of my meds...so have like a 5 minute attention span.[spoiler]
>>
No. 544369 ID: 0f6f63

>>544364
Sorry to hear that. My condolences.

I'm heartened to hear you haven't forgotten the quest though. This one has my interest, and I would be glad to see it continue when you're up to it. Don't worry about the delay- we've had far worse.
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No. 544986 ID: a356c0
File 138248065842.jpg - (4.41KB , 242x209 , grey sky.jpg )
544986

The next few days aren't too bad.

I woke up Monday and couldn't stand looking at the Sun, it just hurt too much to think of mother.

I guess the sky must have figured out how I felt because soon the sky was a featureless silver. The same color as my eyes when I turn cold.

All day everyone around me was, not lethargic, but resigned, slow, not speaking much.

It was weird but also..also right, it fit with how I felt in my heart.

Even if I don't want to remember that I am Dad's child.

I didn't really do anything that day, just help cook and clean.

The next day was better. I could smile a little again. Mom would want me to smile. Well, she would want me to make the world a better place, but I'm still growing, so I'm going to have to make do with helping out.

The next day I went shopping with Lady Bentenmaru. I'm going to miss her when she finds a ship willing to take her on. The whole money thing is kind of weird. Like I think I get it. Its basically a way to store up gratitude, but..it's still weird. I mean what if someone really needs something but doesn't have enough to pay for it?

Bentenmaru also took me to see the miko. Apparently she had seen me wake up in their pools. She was very calm, and serene, I half expected her to get blown away by a stray gust of wind. She suggested that Lady Bentenmaru and I come with her to the public pool and soak a while.

I liked the hot water, wasn't hot enough for me though.

But when this man who had hair like the woman back at the house, and there was this big wrinkled thing hanging down between his legs.

Lady Bentenmaru laughed when I asked what it was and if he was okay. She then said something that made the miko glare at her, and then said that all men had those 'testicals' and 'penis'.

I'm glad I'm not a boy, they look just silly.

And apparently they can hurt a lot if you hit them? Lady Bentenmaru said to only kick or hit there if I was really in trouble, like afraid someone would hurt me, not just ate too much cookies trouble.

That night I asked about going over to the temple on little Island.

(part 1 of ?)
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No. 544993 ID: a356c0
File 138248433631.jpg - (10.20KB , 259x194 , sheep.jpg )
544993

The next day the woman with streaks of ash color in her hair, (who is named Ashly Limonov) wakes me up before the sun rises. Or well tries to. She has to dress me and I'm not really awake until I am waiting in the ferry with this boy only a little bit older than me, Victor Tanaka. He has hair thats not quite black, with just the tiniest bit of red in it. He wore a red shirt and denim overalls, apparently he wants to see if he can move to one of the farms on the island.

The ferry is basicly a floating box big enough to carry about 20 people, its about half full this morning.

He says it goes to Little Island and back each morning, and then does it again in the evening, so people commuting either way can use it.

It's only a few minutes until the ferry starts sailing across Big Lake, water streaming at each side, cold mist slowly getting dried up by the sun.

Once the sun is out I start talking to the other people on the ferry a bit, they seem polite, and humor my questions. Pretty much all of them are people who work on Little Island farms but live in Fortitude, though there's also a couple just coming over to have a long picnic.

(more coming but later so feel free to reply to this or the one above.)
>>
No. 544995 ID: d2b9fe

>Even if I don't want to remember that I am Dad's child.
Wait, if your mother was the sun, what was your father? Do you know?

...and for that matter, do you know what you are? I mean, we know some of the things your powers can do, but just say, because you've been able to influence the weather, doesn't mean you're Weather. Is that kind of thing something that's set when you're born, something that you know, or something that you have to grow into or discover?

>I mean what if someone really needs something but doesn't have enough to pay for it?
Well, they don't get it. Unless they can count on charity. Or sometimes they can get a loan (borrow money from someone who they'll pay back later), or make the purchase on credit (promise to pay the person who has the thing you need later). Or sometimes if they're really desperate people steal.

>I'm glad I'm not a boy, they look just silly.
Not looking silly is half the reason we wear clothes, sometimes.

But Bentenmaru is right about that being a way you can defend yourself. At least, if you find yourself in a situation where you need to fend off a mortal and don't wish to bring your powers into play.
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No. 545173 ID: 70999b
File 138263212738.jpg - (78.54KB , 397x599 , 397px-Statue_of_Goddess_or_Queen_at_Monas.jpg )
545173

Once at Little Island itself people scatter, but the boy points me to a path of yellow brick that leads to the center of the island. It's a little weird to be by myself. I was never allowed to go anywhere without someone watching me.

But it's not like I can get lost with such a clear path, or I'm going to forget how to walk. So I walk down the brick path as it goes more or less straight inland. Some crows seem to be following me, and there are people tending the sheep behind little walls that just reach up to my chest. I guess sheep can't jump? Anyway the people seem to wave and then get back to business.

Pretty soon the ground gets steep enough that the path has little flights of stairs every 50 feet or so, and then starts doing switch backs.

Finally it reaches a high point and Jasper can see into the valley where the temple it self is.

Inside instead of the grass and occasional tree on the outer part of the island, there are ferns and broadleafed trees clustering around streams that lead to a central lake. White stone shines where there isn't water, clearly the source of building materials for the temple that perches at the lake's center. The bridge seeming to stab the shore like a thrust of Mothers sword. Jasper finds herself standing in the 2 basic strike prepose as the sun shines warm on her skin.

She walks down the steep steps to the lake and then hears a man shout "Hello! Welcome to the Temple of Jade Irinka."

Jasper blinks and sees a man in a robe with lines and circles of yellow and white, mopping the temple steps. She waves and yells back. "Hello! I've never been here before. Um..anything I should know?"

"Not really! Feel free to look around. Its just me here today. Father McCormick is in town buying supplies." The man says. "I can show you around in a second, once I have these steps clean."

Jasper nods and waits by the door for the man to finish. His short simple black hair contrasts with his pale robes and freckled skin.

Soon enough he surveys his work and nods. "Shall we?" He says gesturing to the courtyard in side the temple walls.
A raised podium lifts a statue of Jasper's mother into the sun light, while the celings drape where jasper and the man stand into shadow.

"Arresting isn't it. " the man says quietly, putting a hand on Jasper's shoulder. It is a very white statue. "So what brings you here today?"

>
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No. 545184 ID: 0e6e56

>Only wakes up with the sun
I wonder if there is a way around it. After all, the sun doesn't really disappear in the night, does it?

>Hitting males there
You should really only do this if you urgently need to. It's otherwise frowned upon and very mean.

>what if someone really needs something but doesn't have enough to pay for it?
What would happen if someone whom no gratitude is owed really needs something? I think the system could work quite similarily. Generally children are cared for by their parents or guardians while adults are expected to earn money if they need any.

>>545173
I wonder how they know how she looks. Or whether they even know. Does the statue resemble your mother?

Regarding his question, I think curiosity is a nice, true and non-committal reason to give for coming here.
>>
No. 545185 ID: d2b9fe

>So what brings you here today?
I think we give as much honesty as we can afford, here. Something of the truth without revealing who you are.

She protected me, once. I came to see her, I suppose. Pay my respects. Now that... *awkward trail off, not wanting to say she's dead*
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No. 545289 ID: 908033
File 138272545550.jpg - (3.10KB , 182x143 , 2013-10-25-11-12-17-1899833727.jpg )
545289

> Wait, if your mother was the sun, what was your father? Do you know?
No not really. Once when I was hiding from Nanny I heard him say he was The Lord of Death's Domain.
> ...and for that matter, do you know what you are?
No.. Someone is the sun, and I don't think my brother would do it. He and mom didn't really get along. Something about his friends..
>Well, they don't get it. Unless they can count on charity. Or sometimes they can get a loan (borrow money from someone who they'll pay back later), or make the purchase on credit (promise to pay the person who has the thing you need later). Or sometimes if they're really desperate people steal.
Sounds complicated.
 > Not looking silly is half the reason we wear clothes, sometimes. 
Some clothes look pretty awesome too. I should get some more. I like this dress but it doesn't really fit with how solid everything is here. Maybe a turtle neck and some blue jeans?
>Only wakes up with the sun. I wonder if there is a way around it. After all, the sun doesn't really disappear in the night, does it? 
Practice maybe? Mom didn't sleep much so maybe I just need to grow?
>Hitting males there You should really only do this if you urgently need to. It's otherwise frowned upon and very mean. 
Okay. Mom said to be nice when you can.
>what if someone really needs something but doesn't have enough to pay for it? What would happen if someone whom no gratitude is owed really needs something?
At home people generally just got what they needed to do their jobs.
> I wonder how they know how she looks. Or whether they even know. Does the statue resemble your mother? 
Yeah. Its not perfect and its missing her wings, but it's close.
I've never seen her in that exact outfit, but she wore something similar when she went to a trial.
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No. 545312 ID: d2b9fe

>complicated
>in heaven people just got what they needed for their jobs
That's kind of where the mortal realm really differs. Part of the reason there's a thing like a monetary system is there isn't always enough of everything to go round. And people don't have a set purpose or job- they kind of have to make their own. It's... freeform, rather than purposely set up.

Which yeah, can make things very complicated. And sometimes lead to problems. But it can also result in a lot of interesting stuff.

>looking cool
>more clothes
Not a bad idea at all. No reason to wear the same thing all the time. And a dress isn't practical for everything.
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No. 545373 ID: f4438e
File 138276610183.jpg - (37.88KB , 283x525 , il_570xN_381710377_lu6g.jpg )
545373

> I think we give as much honesty as we can afford, here. Something of the truth without revealing who you are.

>She protected me, once. I came to see her, I suppose. Pay my respects. Now that... *awkward trail off, not wanting to say she's dead*

I like that wording.

Jasper tries to stay strong, "She protected me, once. I came to see her, I suppose. Pay..*hicup* pay my.." but she cant keep it in, it hurts just to look at the statue, and she can't hide behind her father's cold eyes, not here, in her temple. She breaks into racking tears and hugs the man unable to let go.

For a moment he looks stricken, but then he hugs her back, picking her up. "there, there." he says meaningless words of comfort.


It is a long moment before she can even try to speak again. "I..I..I'm sorry..I.." she speaks once she has regained some control. "I don't even know your name and I get snot all over your robe." She says blushing, trying to wipe at his shoulder.

"Its okay. Though..is your snot supposed to glow?" He asks.

"Err..is snot not supposed to glow?" Jasper asks. "It always has before.."

"Well then its probably okay." He says.

>
>>
No. 545377 ID: d2b9fe

Solar snot? Hmm. Well, I assume it fades eventually. And we can pass it off as more worlds collide weirdness.

Sorry. It suppose it's more of the oddness since... the worlds changed. So many things the same, but so many little things that are different.
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No. 545417 ID: d26c2a

It seems like things like glowing snot isn't a big deal here if it's already normal for you. So you probably don't need to worry too much about standing out. Just say "It's normal for me" if anyone asks any questions about an oddity of yours and wave it off.

Take all the time you need to mourn, but eventually you'll need to get on with life. Though there's the guy who killed your mother. You probably should be careful of him.
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No. 545781 ID: 73aab1
File 138305660273.jpg - (2.91KB , 276x183 , sky.jpg )
545781

(Okay slight ret-con. Its Mother McCormic, not Father McCormic)

I spend a while sniffing, calming down. I..I don't feel better exactly, but I think this is better for me then when I go all cold.

Like practicing being sad or something.

That doesn't make sense. I don't want to _be_ sad.

Anyway the man, who says his name is Gerasim Hidachi, gets a wash cloth for us to to clean ourselves up with.

He also goes and changes into a new robe. I kind of got a lot of snot on it.

We talk a bit about Little Island and Fortitude. He says he's not a full time priest at the temple, but every family of the Island is expected to send someone for a couple of weeks each year.

And eventually one of them will choose to stay and become the next tender.

I talk about how cool Bentenmaru is, and how scary everything being different is. Like mixed baths, and stars, and the wind not talking.

He mostly just listens.

Eventually he says he should get back to cleaning and offers me a rag to help out. He says it's good to do something, keeps the body strong.

The rest of the afternoon I help out cleaning the temple. Washing stone and metal, sweeping dirt and leaves, polishing silver.

It's relaxing, but tiring, and I can feel a little of my mother in it. Reminds me of when she would make me do my exercises and we would do the same motion over and over again.

I ..I haven't done those since she died.

As the sun starts to come in through the western entrance more then the ceiling hole, a woman in white robes pulling a wheel barrow enters the temple and bows down to the ground infront of the statue, staying with her head on the ground for a long moment.

Once she rises, she turns and looks right at me. Her golden eyes questioning.

"Welcome to the Temple for Jade Irinka, Lord of the houses of the Sun. I hope you have found your stay here useful?" she asks, bowing her head. "Giarism, could you put the food away? I would like to accompany this young lady back to the ferry."

Gerasim just nods taking the wheelbarrow away into the depths of the building. "Yes, Mother."

I somewhat confusedly walk beside this woman back to the ferry. She asks how I found the stay at the temple, if there was anything I would change. All I can think of how much mom made me practice my sword work. It could use something active like. She was so..relentless. Strong, always moving, always doing something.

It feels rude to even say something like that, but Mother McCormick gently pries my true opinions out of me.

Pretty soon we are at the dock, the sun just touching down over the hills just visible on the horizon. (Maybe that's why Horizon is called what it is? Because from Big Lake it's just past the Horizon?)

I feel my self getting sleepy, but I stay awake until the ferry actually starts moving, something about the sound of the sails, and the way the water moves causes to nod off, still leaning against the wooden side.

I wake up with a start when the way the boat tips changes.

Its stopped at Fortitude, the owner is tying up the sails, and the other people are already getting off, chatting about their day.

I sort of want to talk with them, but I'm to caught up in the moment to really pay attention.

The sky is full of stars again.

Its beautiful, until one falls, sputtering out, and I think of my Dad's eyes.

Is he watching?

(1/2)
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No. 545873 ID: 73aab1

(Changing to first person because its easier to write.)

At dinner I am still distracted, not really paying attention to what people are saying.

Tired maybe? Maybe I just miss dad too.

Lady Bentenmaru says something to me and I miss it.

"Sorry? What did you say?" I ask.

"Have you decided what you want to do the next couple of days?"

"No." I say shaking my head.

"Well you could go to Little Island again. Or hang out here, or go to Arcadia, but that place isn't that fun with out some money.

The Rats might have a job for you if you want to be like 'adventurer' material. Your a little big to be starting out with them but, the roofs don't have a size limit.

"I'm going to be helping out with the fishing catch again, I cant really look for work until some more ships get in.

"Horizion or the Walking feilds can be dangerous, but if you go with a group you should be okay."

A boy a few years older interjects from across the table, "Old Molder is worth seeing too. Not as creepy as Horizon. I always get so anxious there..but its where School is, so.."

Lady Bentenmaru replies, "Anywhere near the docks is nice and safe, and you seemed interested in the shrine families when I was pointing them out."

I sit, and put my fists to my face. I don't know what I want to do.

Do you have any ideas?

(Okay this part is rather Princess Maker like, choose how to distribute your time over the next couple of weeks, and it will influence who you get to know and how deeply. Though you have something like 4-6 (IC) years before the 'main plot' so to speak. If you have questions feel free to ask me or have Jasper ask, or ask Jasper.)
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No. 545876 ID: 4a27cd

(Suggestion for overall direction)
Mother emphasized martial and magical training, but we need some rounded abilities like making sure we're literate, that we can perform a useful trade that isn't combat, that we spend time at what's left of mom's shrine, and that we spend some effort with our... non-mortal powers and abilities so they don't atrophy.
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No. 545894 ID: d2b9fe

>sad is better for me then when I go all cold.
>That doesn't make sense. I don't want to _be_ sad.
Emotions are important. Even sadness. There's a natural process to grieving, and it's far healthier to go through it, and deal with your feelings, than it is to suppress them or find a way around them. Feeling sad is how we deal with bad things and loss, and part of how we come to eventually feel better, some day.

It sounds like what your father taught you is some state of focus, where your emotions don't bother you? That can be useful- there are times where you may not have time for your feelings, where you need to act or react unencumbered. Where survival is more important than what you feel. But that's not something I would rely on all the time.

>Priestess
Hmm. I think she might have made you for what you are. I think that's why she wanted your honest opinion. She didn't call you on it, though.

>haven't done your exercises since she died
Well, you could start to do them again, if you wish. Certainly nothing wrong with discipline, or being prepared, or honoring her memory. If we're getting into normalcy here, including your training as a part of your routine is doable. (Like every morning, or something).

Getting ahold of a sword might be tricky, initially, though. I'd think these people might be reluctant to give a deadly weapon to a child, and crafted metal is probably pricey. You might have to make due with a practice weapon, wood or something. (Although finding a length of wood with the right balance and weight to be useful for training is problematic in itself. Although using your powers and cheating to make a piece of wood what you want it to be is a lot less suspicious than creating a sword).

>longer term
I'd think you'd want to include the temple in your life here. Maybe help there a day or a two a week. A touchstone towards your old life.

Be nice to find some way you can help or earn your keep in the world her normally, too. Repay some of the help that's been owed you, and maybe save up for new clothes, or a sword. I'm not sure what, though. Your existing training might make adventuring work an easy start, but it would be nice to be well rounded. ...you might also be better educated in some ways than village children.

Your more extraordinary powers are the tough part. They could make a lot of things much easier, but showing your true colors openly around normal people is probably more trouble than it's worth. And you don't wish to draw outside attention to yourself. Or do anything that might hurt anyone. Yet, at the same time, you may need those abilities some day. Which means you'll need to train them. Which results in a delicate balance to be maintained.
>>
No. 545918 ID: 3dd384

wanna meet the shrine families

yeah
>>
No. 545982 ID: 3f1e0a
File 138316711422.jpg - (3.58KB , 186x139 , images-3.jpg )
545982

I frown. Thinking, well talking to you, but not talking out loud. Which I guess is like thinking. .I mean I made you to help me think.

"I _do_ want to meet /all/ the shrine families." I declare.

They start talking about which one I should visit first.

I sort of pay attention, but am mostly thinking about what I want to do longer term.

Doing my exercises is a good idea. It's something that was important to Mother. Though with out her to correct me or spar against, they are going to drift off true.
Still they are worth doing anyway.

Not sure how I would use my powers to make a practice sword. What are you thinking of?

I know how to read the True Toung, Latin, and English. I still have to sound things out though. They aren't speaking any of those here and I can understand them just fine, maybe I learned the language when I was asleep?

School sounds scary, but if everyone has to go when they turn 13 it can't be that bad, right? I mean there are lots of teenagers around and they seem okay.

> It sounds like what your father taught you is some state of focus, where your emotions don't bother you?
Yeah. Something like that. It feels like things don't have possibleness anymore when I do it. Almost like I already know how my life will go. Not like I am giving up.. but like the distinction between giving up and not giving up is gone. I think big words would help her, I feel kind of silly trying to explain this. Like mom or dad could explain it super quick, but I'm just talking in circles.

>Priestess
I think you might be right. I hope she doesn't tell anyone. I don't want dad hearing about me. Even if he doesn't want to hurt me.. I'm not ready to see him again.
And I don't know if I want people treating me the way they treated Mom.
>>
No. 545990 ID: 4a27cd

If they treated you like they treated your mom you'd be up in the sky (past the sky?) shining light instead of down here, right? It would be pretty hard to hide from your dad like that.

The fact that your dad could and would just show up and kill your mom says you need to hide until you're sure you could take him on in a fight. That's because you can't count on anyone in your mom's family being able to protect you even if they wanted to--they couldn't protect her.

I'm not so sure we should visit the other shrines, what if this priestess isn't the only one who can figure out what we really are? Is that a risk we should take knowing what happened to mom? I'd say no, but other voices might have other perspectives.
>>
No. 545991 ID: d2b9fe

>maybe I learned the language when I was asleep?
It's possible that part of coming to this place (becoming part of this place?) granted you comprehension of the language. Or that listening for months in your sleep helped.

Or maybe the true tongue helps you with derivative tongues?

We don't really have enough information to say how the language stuff works. Maybe we'll see what happens if you encounter someone who speaks another language from the people in town. If you understand, or not.

>what your father taught you
Sounds like a kind of acceptance, or faith. Or a fate thing.

>training will drift off true
Not much that can be done about that. Perhaps it will eventually drift into your own style. Or you will someday find someone to train or spar with to correct the faults.

>Not sure how I would use my powers to make a practice sword. What are you thinking of?
Start with a branch or dowel or something, and then tweak the weight or density so it has the balance of a sword? Although I suppose I'm being presumptuous, you hadn't mentioned any ability to directly manipulate objects that way.

...you might have some ability to shape stuff through fire and magnetism if you were big, but you can't exactly do that anywhere near the town, or possibly on the planet, safely. Too many things and people that could be hurt.

I guess it's probably safer to make one the mundane way, or have one made. Must be a carpenter, or woodworking tools somewhere.

>I hope she doesn't tell anyone. I don't want dad hearing about me.
I doubt she's going to. If she understood not to ask you, she probably understands not to tell anyone else. And a priestess of your mother isn't the kind of person who would talk to your father, or his associates. Word would have to get blabbed around a bit before it reached his ears.
>>
No. 545997 ID: d2b9fe

>>545990
Her mother died because she trusted someone powerful and dangerous (from the other side of a celestial war), and allowed him into her safe haven. She was attacked suddenly, without warning, when her guard was down.

And I'm not so concerned that Jasper's father may want her dead, but that it isn't in her best interest to allow herself to be found by him.

And whether or not the rest of heaven could protect her is less of an issue than how they might react to her at all. Jasper was a secret, and the result of a forbidden union. She might be seen as anathema, or blame her for her mother's death, etc.

Long story short, we don't know enough about this war, or either side in it, for me to trust either of them. I don't want to be helpless, to be at their mercy, or a tool to be used.

>shrine families a risk?
Not a large one, I think, especially on top of the priestess already knowing. Jasper can conceal who and what she is, but she can't hide from everyone who might see through that in fear.

Honestly, if any of the shrine families will see through that, we're probably safer going to them and being a friend than someone they accidentally stumble across in the street one day. In one case, they see us as a blessing, a kind of secret- their secret, in the other they might see Jasper as more of a discovery to be shouted about.
>>
No. 546004 ID: 4a27cd

>>545997
"Honestly, if any of the shrine families will see through that, we're probably safer going to them and being a friend than someone they accidentally stumble across in the street one day."

You may be right about that, but I am right about the fact that the best way to keep something secret is to limit the number of people who know it. That is because even if all of the people you trust are trustworthy the more people who know the more people can make a mistake, have it tortured out of them, or whatever else might possibly expose the secret to someone you don't want to know. Also, if you trust more people with a secret that increases the chance that at least one of them isn't trustworthy. Finally, are we really, really sure none of those shrines are for father? It could really suck if we just walk into his attention without being prepared for it.

Suggestion: Ask the priestess who already seems to know. We don't know anything at all about the other people who keep the shrines or who all those shrines are dedicated to. We're talking abstract principles and hypotheticals so far and a little knowledge might go a long way to figuring out which of us is more right.
>>
No. 546006 ID: d2b9fe

>>546004
I'd agree that yes, ideally, we don't want more people to know. (The problem of limiting who to trust gets complicated when considering people who may know your secret as soon as they look upon you).

I suspect though, if we don't tell anyone, or make overt displays of power, we'll probably be okay. I doubt there are many people around as spiritually attuned as Mother McCormic.

But there's certainly no harm about asking about the shrines. Would even fit into the conversation now, since they're talking about who we might want to visit. We'll steer clear if there's one dedicated to death or the like (anything you might suspect of being tied to your father).
>>
No. 546027 ID: 3dd384

Vis. secret-keeping and the shrine families: Mother McCormick was at something of an advantage. She probably saw your glowy snot, f'rex. Also, she's the chief priestess of Mom's temple, so she'd be comparatively likely to notice the family resemblance.

The other shrines aren't to Mom, right? They do other stuff?

>>545982
>I think big words would help
If I had to put a big word to that feeling, I think it'd be "inevitability".
>>
No. 546140 ID: 908033
File 138325709732.jpg - (2.61KB , 81x121 , images-4.jpg )
546140

"So who do the shrine families worship?" I ask a little worried.
The old woman replies, "Well the Titove's are keeping some sort of monster or witch imprisoned in their shrine. Um they are kind screwed up people. Dangerous. They use people, and use them up sometimes, but what they are doing is important, and they try to be good."
I nod a little nervous. I don't think I want to visit them.
"The Yasakyas, the ones on Maple Hill are complicated. They serve both cats and bird spirits, the rats have a understanding with them, of sorts. But the temple isn't really to one god. More like a..a dock or a builtten board."
Mom's ministers looked a little like birds. Might be dangerous.
"The Vasilli don't name their gods. They just say this feast is to the tides, or this one is to appease the flames."
That's not really helpful.
"The Watanabe serve Inari, but they aren't very serious about it. Mostly they just sell candy and charms that probably don't do anything. They make tasty candy though. The Hiyoshi are the same except I can't even remember who they have as patron."
Well they will probably be safe but useless.
"The Susonove’s try to emulate their ancestor. She assended into bodhisattvahood a few generations ago. They also offer rituals to the old youkai gods, who ruled before the vampires brought humans to Town."
Doesn't sound like Mom's kind of God. She liked the Earth but she didn't rule there or let humans become important. Not as important as a Bodhisattva seems to be anyway.
"Oh there's a small Christian church too. I think their God is named King Jesus. They always get a little weird around Christmas."
>>
No. 546146 ID: d2b9fe

Witch or monster imprisonment / worship doesn't sound like anything you want a part of. Nor people who use people, or use them up. Especially as the child of a major goddess might be an excellent candidate to imprison / use, if they're capable of it. I kind of doubt they can, but no need to take that risk.

Vasilli might be risky? No naming might connect to your father, but that's a pretty tenuous link. And the Yasakyas' are really hard to say without more information, there's a lot of things that might be tied to birds.

We've heard of Jesus at least, but different sects of his faith have interpreted his teachings into pretty different practices. Kind of hard to say what to expect from except in broad strokes them until we see them.

Watanabe, Hiyoshi, and Susonove sound safe.

...maybe start with the safer ones, and see what you can pick up on the ones we're unsure about in the meantime?
>>
No. 546277 ID: c1f19a

I say we ask the priestess about it, first thing, because we don't even know for sure how she knows. Did she figure it out? Is our spiritual fly unzipped and showing what's inside our mortal guise to anybody with a bit of magic sensitivity? Was she just trying to be nice to a kid that seems to be orphaned and figures we come from a *different* place where mom was worshipped differently?
>>
No. 546283 ID: d2b9fe

...I don't know. I'm reluctant to go back to the temple on the island immediately (back and forth, it's a whole day's trip). And I'm even more reluctant to talk about what and who we are frankly with her. There's a line there, that she noted and respectfully chose not to step across. If we cross it ourselves, it changes the relationship, and we can't take that back.

I doubt it's an overt leaking of power, though. I'd say the likely reason she guessed is because the temple leaves Jasper vulnerable and open. And the priestess has spent her entire life praying to her mother and looking for signs of her in the world. If there's anyone who would recognize the Sun's daughter sent to them, it would be her. Other highly spiritually attuned people might notice something, but I doubt they'd see the truth without familiarity.
>>
No. 546292 ID: c1f19a

>>546283
Guesswork, guesswork, guesswork, guesswork... and you're not even willing to trust the person most likely to be sympathetic to us to advise us on keeping our secret, apparently. That says rather a lot about whether we should risk trusting anyone else with that information besides her, doesn't it?

This strongly suggests we attempt to find someone to apprentice under. We need some world knowledge here: What political, military, technology, and magic level is this society at? Should we be trying to enroll in university, or as a blacksmith's apprentice, or what?
>>
No. 546297 ID: d2b9fe

Putting aside the guesswork for the moment, there's a big difference between deliberately trusting someone with our secret and thinking about who might be able to discover it. Guaranteeing that we're out with one person to try and lessen the risk of being outed again seems almost counterproductive.

...and it's not that I don't trust Mother McCormic (in fact, I expect she knows, and that she won't tell anyone). It's that I feel like there's almost rules or a code of conduct, here. That there are things that should not be spoken. That keeping the secret of the hidden god-child who comes to you is one thing, but that she would be forced to act differently with the god-child who openly declares herself.

I dunno. We'll see what happens the next time we visit the temple, and how she acts around us. Judge how to behave from that. Maybe I'm overthinking this. At the very least, we could talk with her about our visits to the other shrine families, and see how she responds.

...actually, that's good reason to start with 'safe' ones and do the ones we're less sure of later. (After our next temple visit). Finding out what the shrine families think of each other, and what the priestess thinks of them (and the prospect of us visiting some of them) would be a better way to make an informed decision. Mother McCormic could warn us away if she thought it would be a problem without either party having to directly address the elephant in the room.
>>
No. 546309 ID: c1f19a

>>546297

Arrgh, kicking it to discussion.

Short answer: I'm pretty sure you're balancing the relative risks wrong and ignoring the risk that Mother McCormic tells people about us because we didn't swear her to secrecy yet.
>>
No. 546713 ID: 3242c7

(Calling it for visiting the Susonove)
>>
No. 547067 ID: 10986f

(Sorry I keep rewriting the next post. Finding a balence of sumary and direct dialogue that shows what I want to show but also lets me start chewing thrum IC time is hard.)
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No. 547358 ID: 10986f
File 138411160694.jpg - (48.68KB , 340x270 , mural.jpg )
547358

I nod and finish my dinner. The clean up happens fairly quickly. All evening and the next morning I keep going over things in my head. I just don't have enough information to feel safe.

Despite all my worrying. It's not all that long before I am admiring the blue, blue sky with thin wisps of clouds contrasting with the red and green of the trees as I walk up the winding street to the Sosunov temple.

It's a different design then the Tori gates and paper walls of the Kichi complex I visited a few days ago. The Sosunov temple is a tall 4 story building built into the steeply sloping hillside. The lowest floor is rounded and squat, a shallow stuco cylinder capped with a dome. The other floors are victorian in style, high narrow walls with trim and slats.
At first it looks like it is painted all in black and white, but a second glance shows that both the white and the black have subtle shifting shades of color to them.
When I arrive a group of sailors is leaving, talking excitedly about coal and French vampires and contracts.
The last one to leave holds the door open for me. Repling to my thank you with a smiling "Don'tch ya worry none about it."
Once inside I see a round room with a painting of a woman sitting crosslegged taking up most of the wall on my left. In the right side of the room, a man sits at a desk piles of loops of wood, each wrapped in a web of knotted and dyed twine sitting next to his arms.

"The meditation class has already started, but if you're quiet you can join, or I can pass a message to someone?"

I shake my head. "No. I just wanted to know about your gods?" I say nervous that I'm revealing too much.

"Oh! I thought you might be a newcomer. Welcome to Town. This is a Buddhist temple, so most of what we do is not really about the gods, even if you count the bodhisattvas. Which are not quite the same thing. But we do appease Moruku and Goreku so they don't need to trouble our dreams overmuch, and Lady Miruna protects our family and this temple." He says his skin even paler than dads. It almost looks like a paper wall when a light is behind it.
>
>>
No. 547364 ID: c1f19a

That's... interesting. Seems like a good place to practice concentration if you're confident we can keep things like 'glowing snot' from giving us away.

"Thank you, I find that interesting. If I may ask further questions I'd like to know what do people do here, besides what you've already mentioned. Also, who is this Lady Miruna?"
>>
No. 547400 ID: fc937d

Hmm. Well, that's somewhat reassuring, actually. More about teaching and self improvement than worship. I suppose there's still the risk someone here might be able to recognize something in you, but if you don't make yourself a threat or danger to anyone here, the bodhisattva shouldn't trouble you.

I suppose we could hang out for a little while, see if meditation does anything for you. Might be a useful control, although it's hard to know if a technique for elevating the mind of a human will apply to the daughter of the sun.
>>
No. 547536 ID: c1f19a

>>547400
>I suppose we could hang out for a little while, see if meditation does anything for you. Might be a useful control, although it's hard to know if a technique for elevating the mind of a human will apply to the daughter of the sun.

Meditation is (simplified) practice concentrating on arbitrary things. The only thing I'd be worried about is that maybe Jasper's already well beyond this level if we're creations of her will and mind. It's worth finding out if that's true even if she is.
>>
No. 547805 ID: 7e7b17
File 138430504797.jpg - (6.30KB , 271x186 , fuzzy.jpg )
547805

I nod and think for a moment. Listening to you, my Voices.

I can hear someone coming down the stairs, but turning to look would
be rude. Two people maybe?


“I think..I think I would like to learn about meditation?” I say,
still kind of unsure. I wonder who ' Moruku' and 'Goruku' are.


The man nods, and speaks up. “Aunt Haruka, Mother, are either of you
free?” I turn to look at who he is addressing. Two women stand near
the center of the room, one is wearing a button-down, high-necked
white and blue plaid blouse under a black vest, and brown dress-pants.
The other is in an elaborate white dress that formed into a bell shape
that goes all the way down to her ankles, the upper half is stiff
forming her stomach and chest into a sort of cone, and then reaches
over her shoulders and arms, before tucking under thick white gloves.
The whole thing is covered in lace and ribbons, which fold into little
roses, almost like rivets. The whole thing is almost more like a
bas-relief sculpture then the clothes you've seen others wear. She
completes the ensemble with a small reed hat painted white and an
umbrella that is longer then her arms, and even folded up is elegant
and fancy.


Its kind of impressive.


“I need to go to city hall, I am afraid, but Aunt Haruka?”, the vest
wearing woman says her smile apologizing.


“I'm free until lunch. Why?” the woman in white, Haruka apparently,
says frowning slightly.


The man replies. “This one..” he gestures to me. “..would like to
learn about meditation, but someone should watch the front.”


“I'll watch the front. You can use the practice teaching.” Haruka
declares, moving around to sit where the man is.


“Okay. I can do that.” he says scrambling to get out of her way. “Oh,”
he says to me “I didn't introduce my self. I am XXXX Susonov.” He says
putting his hands together and then bowing.


“Uh..Jasper.” It's hard not to use my whole name and title. Feels
rude. I bow deeply, imitating his hand gesture, “I am honored to make
your acquaintance.”


“So the smaller meditation rooms are on on the third story, I'll try
to teach you enough that the daily meditation practices make sense,
though these simple exercises are things that many people do on their
own. Often after breakfast, or at lunch.”

He leads me up the stairs past one set of doors, to another hallway with 4 rooms, we go in one and he teaches me a basic breath meditation. Its not too hard. After we do that that together for a while he also teaches me one that he says is good to use if you find yourself troubled by something, or distracted while doing other meditations, its about sort of mapping out what your thinking about while assigning thoughts to parts of your body to keep track of both.

That one is nice even if I keep forgetting what things are parts of my body and what things aren't.
>>
No. 547810 ID: fc937d

Huh. Kind of narrow text wrapping there. Text editor or copy/paste misbehaving?

>XXXX
Now that's tricky to pronounce.

>Introduces self as Jasper
Whoops. That's not the pseudonym you've been using. Although if that's becoming too much of an inconvenience for you, I'm not really sure how much harm it would do if you 'remembered' your real name. I suppose it makes it easier to find you if your father or his agents were to ask around town, or if you get enough people talking about you for word to spread.

>That one is nice even if I keep forgetting what things are parts of my body and what things aren't.
...so long as that doesn't lead to your body accidentally drifting big, or you influencing things outside of yourself.
>>
No. 547824 ID: 86c259

Honestly, if you're prone to giving away what you are with things like 'glowing snot' anyway I don't know if we've managed to keep secret that we're a what anyhow. The people who watched over us for months could already know we aren't like them, and may have spread that gossip.

Tell me, was this meditation practice helpful? Setting aside some time for it every day is considered a worthwhile practice by a number of different cultures, but I don't have much knowledge of normal practices for beings of your type to work against here.
>>
No. 547826 ID: fc937d

>>547824
I think with the whole worlds collide situation, there are enough slightly weird and different things and people that we don't stand out significantly, yet. Maybe we're a snot-glowing alien, but most people haven't realized we're a god-child fallen to earth. (...that or they're just humoring us).
>>
No. 547875 ID: 86c259

>>547826
>...they're just humoring us.

That's the hypothesis. We don't know what's protecting this town or what their ability to detect and identify supernatural entities is. Considering that folks like our dad exist it could well be more than equal to the task of figuring out we aren't particularly human. We should research this because if they do have such paraphysical/supernatural expertise these people might be very useful to help us deal with the growth issues of someone that turns into a damn star.
>>
No. 547908 ID: aeb611

Umm I think I changed the spectra of a sunbeam by a few nanometers, but the mediation did feel useful or at least potentially useful. Like when mom has taught me a new stance but hasn't taught me how to use it in sparing yet.
Also the sunbeam felt a lot better after.
>>
No. 547910 ID: fc937d

Interesting! I didn't know sunbeams felt.

Well, I doubt anyone would notice that subtle a change. So long as your powers don't do anything flashy, or that might be dangerous to anyone, I don't see the harm in this. And there might be benefit in pursuing it.

...the problem, of course, is going to be deciding what things we'll want to pursue and how to schedule it. I suspect there are a lot of things in this town that might be useful to learn.
>>
No. 547955 ID: 86c259

>Interesting! I didn't know sunbeams felt.

Maybe the sunbeam doesn't have awareness/feelings of its own but the change of the frequency made it more pleasant to Jasper? I don't know: Are sunbeams aware?

Also, without any knowledge of what level of scientific study is at work here we don't know if we've just caused a detectable anomaly or not. In highly developed societies it's normal to have continuous monitoring/analysis of many natural phenomena which is sensitive and logged since that's the sort of basic research that advanced forecasting and scientific discovery comes from. The places to go asking about that would be an observatory or a university (generally speaking) in societies I am most familiar with. We also are dealing with a more paranormal world than what's in my comfort zone, which means that magic and/or mysticism may also have been able to detect something.

You might find it worthwhile to attempt to practice meditation while big later once we've figured out proper occasions for attempting that. In the meanwhile I think we need to acquire a more complete list of what sort of institutions and economics exist in this place somehow. Do we know what the locals do for government and military yet?
>>
No. 548896 ID: ae756b
File 138480722672.jpg - (4.43KB , 186x139 , 2013-11-18-12-40-18-1373343594.jpg )
548896

Well I was having trouble telling myself apart from the sunbeam, so I don't really know. .

Anyway I want to keep practicing meditating, but I also want to do my fighting practice too, and I still feel like I should help out at meals at the house even if don't eat much anymore.

I still feel really guilty about when I drank all of Ashley's gasoline. I mean even if it was salad dressing like I thought then it wouldn't be right to drink a whole gallon.

It was really neat tasting though, and I kept coughing up black smoke rings everytime I breathed in which was cool. Reminded me of my half brother.

But that wasn't the point. The point was I want some help planning out my time.

Helping out at the house takes about two hours a day. Getting a good sword workout takes another two hours. And going to the temple and mediating and coming back takes another hour.

And after dinner I am really too tired to do anything.

So I only really have time to do one extra thing a day.
So what should I do over the next week or two?
A) Hang out with the other kids running around Fortitude. Lots of kids a little younger then I look, but just a bit older and they spend all their time at School. And if I got some money I could go to one of the 'old schools' that teach kids my age.
B) Help out at the market or the docks for a little money.
C) Go wander the lake shore.
D) Go to the hot springs.
E) Go visit another shrine.

Lady Benten warned me that these could be dangerous.
E) Work for the Titov's, and get good money.
F) Go to Horizon, the school there takes students regardless of ability to pay, Ashely saids that if there is an Observatory it will be in there, and they have lots of clubs like wrestling and fenceing that might be willing to teach me.
G) Go on an adventure with the Rats. That will teach you fighting.

These two would use money:
H) Get tutored on something..
I) Visit Arcadia.

And these would take a /whole day/ not letting me help out or pracTice.
J) Visit Little Island.
K) Go to the Walking Feilds. The farm land inland from Town.
>>
No. 548913 ID: fc937d

>Getting a good sword workout
So then, you were able to find yourself a sword or practice sword without much trouble, or spending money?

>drank a whole gallon of gasoline
...yeah, I think it's safe to say you're always going to stand out as a little odd.

>what else do
Okay, I think the money-making things can wait a bit, and adventuring can wait till you've had more practice with your new weapon.

A might be useful. It's good to meet people, make friends, work on interpersonal skills. You can't spend all your time talking to us, as charming as we are. F might also be interesting, if only to see the kind of things available for study (an observatory might be of particular interest, and fencing or something would give you an opponent or someone to train against when remembered lessons aren't enough). Although I don't know if the risk means we should wait a bit. Probably want to do E and check out another shrine at some point, but maybe not this week.

I think we'd want to do J again, but not immediately. You already went to the island and your mother's temple once this week. Maybe next.
>>
No. 549031 ID: 36c336

Drinking gasoline for most people is rather dangerous, poisonous really. This means that anyone who knows about you doing such things has no illusions about you being a normal child.
Worth noting: If they have gasoline here then chances are there are internal combustion engines around, and probably vehicles. That's worth looking into since a good set of wheels can dramatically widen your options if it's affordable. It also means there are likely other transportation options, possibly including bicycles.

I suggest avoiding practicing swordplay on your own too much because without your mom to correct you, or objective standards imposed by opponents to work against, how will you know if you're practicing wrong? I'm not sure us voices an fill in for mother when it comes to practice, although we'll try.

We need to learn what children in this society know and how they behave. It would also be good for our social development to enjoy some recreational time off spent with other people, so I'll agree with spending time on (A).

I think we need to spend some time working at the market, and then get some formal combat and fencing tutoring, so that we can go on an adventure and hopefully earn enough money from that to solve our money problems. Once we have developed sufficient combat competence that adventuring with the Rats isn't challenging we should have relatively less to fear from hazards in Horizon.
>>
No. 549042 ID: fc937d

>how will you know if you're practicing wrong?
I would think, in the short term, there's still value in doing drills she was taught. Assuming she's had lessons for a few years, returning to those for a week or weeks shouldn't result in significant degradation or deviation. In fact, keeping her hand in after months of inactivity, and getting used to a new weapon, is probably more of a gain than working alone might be a loss.

There will come a time where we're going to need additional instruction or real world practice against others for training to matter, but I don't think we're gonna hit it the first week. (Although maybe Jasper can judge that herself? She may begin to fill it when practice stops paying off, or she starts growing frustrated).
>>
No. 549150 ID: 560e3b
File 138489432742.jpg - (3.63KB , 225x169 , m_SDGELJ3_wOUrUUTdR5x4g.jpg )
549150

I found some hardwood poles and scored some lines on so I can pretend they have a an edge. They aren't quite heavy enough for their size and don't have proper grips, but they are better than nothing. I wouldn't spar with them, but I can at least keep my body familiar with the motions.

People have tool knives, but the only weapons I've seen are the rats' swords and one woman with a pair of rifles. She was the first person I've heard speak English here. The shop keepers seemed to understand though. Oh and Lady Bentenmaru has a broken lassor pistol partially disassembled in her closet.
>>
No. 549163 ID: 36c336

Well now, where do the Rats get their swords, and what are the legal problems/requirements for carrying weapons? As I understand it most developed societies have a large number of customs and restrictions regarding who may have which weapons, how and where they should carry them, and where they may be used.
>>
No. 549166 ID: fc937d

Alright. So trying to figure out what it would cost or take to get a proper sword (good quality, of the style you want, and sized to be use-able now, but not something you're going to grow out of for a few years) is probably another thing we should do.

Once you know what one would cost, and who from or where to get one, you could start saving. (Although I still think plan A isn't a bad idea for this week).
>>
No. 549170 ID: 36c336

>>549166
The people we should ask about that are the Rats I'm guessing. They apparently carry swords, so they know all about the local supply and culture surrounding sword use. If it turns out that local materials science has made worthwhile, easily replaced blades of any style, balance and size that would mean that the hard part of getting a sword is probably the legal requirements and licensing to have one (I.E. probable age limits, background check, status check, mandatory safety course).

I think that the previous plan is appropriate though, because whether or not we can, and should, get a sword will be something we find out more about by observing if other children (our nominal peers) have any.
>>
No. 549177 ID: fc937d

>>549170
Where the rats get their weapons might be a short to medium term solution. I have this sneaking suspicion that the local group of child adventurer scamps is making do with lower quality gear. Better than a stick, but perhaps not what we want to stick with.
>>
No. 549182 ID: 36c336

We don't even know what the 'Rats' is aside from that they apparently accept recruits younger than us. It could be this world's version of boy scouts/girl scouts that is self-financing by bake sales and engages in weekend wilderness adventure. Or, it could be the youth training wing of a mercenary company. Or something else entirely perhaps.
>>
No. 549240 ID: 10986f

dagger! The rats are actual rats. About a meter long including the tail.
So I cant use their swords really, too hard to hold right even as a dagger.
But apparently one way to get a leg up on your education is to spend a few years with them. However their is a size limit to being able to go below with them.
They might know how to get human sized weapons though.
>>
No. 549251 ID: fc937d

Oh! And here I was assuming that was a name of a group, not an accurate descriptor. Really gotta watch the assumptions, here.

Talking to them is still an option, although I'm not sure you should be embarking on an adventure with them until you've got some means to defend yourself.
>>
No. 549282 ID: 36c336

What do these rats do? Forgive me because I am totally out of my depth here: I'm used to rats not carrying weapons, or having an organized role in society.
It seems that such a form of training is a time-limited opportunity and what they would want people for includes being bigger than rats and having hands, but I question whether such experience would actually be a good thing.
>>
No. 549586 ID: 10986f
File 138522287635.jpg - (4.87KB , 300x168 , reply 002.jpg )
549586

>What do these rats do? Forgive me because I am totally out of my depth here: I'm used to rats not carrying weapons, or having an organized role in society.
Well people say they have adventures on the "Far Roofs", and the rat's themselves are really polite, and brash at the same time. Mostly they seem to come to Fortitude to scavenge food, and talk to people who live here.
5 or six of them showed up last friday when Ashley had a movie night, I was too tired to watch it with them. Grumble.
>>
No. 549613 ID: 36c336

>[...]people say they have adventures on the "Far Roofs"

Hmmm... if that means they go around stealing things in Horizon that may *not* be so good to join up with. Worth asking about though, and adventures run from the perspective of rats would be very enlightening. That's potentially excellent experience for how to deal with your father if (when) that problem comes back to haunt you.
>>
No. 550144 ID: f6f5ca
File 138564971411.jpg - (25.05KB , 533x323 , tag.jpg )
550144

Anyway I spent Monday and Tuesday exploring the neighborhood and playing games with the other kids.
It hurt to see the younger kids with their mothers. I had to find a place to be alone and cry a couple of times. I can deal withq the sadness, but it would make me so hungryly angry. Like I wanted to just eat them up and steal their parents. Which does not make a lot of sense. I am pretty sure parenthood doesn't transfer like that, and eating people for having something I don't have is wrong.
>>
No. 550170 ID: fd6ae9

Aw. Sorry about that.

I know it might not make sense, but anger is one of the stages of grief. And yeah, eating people is definitely bad, and parentship doesn't transfer like that.
>>
No. 550177 ID: 36c336

They aren't your mom anyway, and you're just a little bit different from those kids: You can find adoptive family here but the only people you can genuinely call family are hanging out elsewhere, and most of them are too scary to seek out.
I am rather curious about reconstructing the chain of events up to the point of you waking up where you did though. Who placed you with that house, and who signed off on treating you like a normal girl? It seems *likely* that either your supernaturality was overlooked, or perhaps more likely that it wasn't. If it wasn't we may have a patron, or overseer, that we don't know about.
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No. 550537 ID: 11505b
File 138596175426.jpg - (22.11KB , 255x320 , 14+-+Prosthetic+Nose.jpg )
550537

That might explain what is just happened.

This evening, just as the sun's light started to turn the yellow-red of evening, I saw a tall man pass by the window, and start knocking at the door. Most of the house was busy making dinner, and indeed I was supposed to be setting the table, but I couldn't help but watch.

The male figure stood tall even compared to my parents, but something about the way his limbs and body were shaped made me think he was a "highschooler" not an adult. He had on the boys uniform for School, black and white. His nose was a silver hunk strapped to his face, and his pale white hands were clean. Beautiful, pure, and even as they held envelopes and cloth , somehow empty.

"I was told the girl who slept has woken and lives here still? Father asked me to deliver these to her." He explained to Daisuke, another orphan, who had been going to School for the past month, and had beat me to the door.

Daisuke replied yelling almost directly away from me. "Uh sure..I can get her. Ginger! There's someone for you!"

I cleared my throat, for some reason annoyed. "I'm here. What are these? " I asked.
<i>Okay voices, what's going on? </i>
>>
No. 550539 ID: fd6ae9

Huh. Well the prosthetic nose is unusual, but that's besides the point.

It sounds as if you have mail. Someone sent you a message, or a gift. I'm not sure why, though.

There's probably a written letter inside the envelope he's offering you. That might explain itself.
>>
No. 550546 ID: 36c336

It could be a formal message with the 'student' instructed to wait for a response. If so, the reasonable response is to ask about what their business is. Something like, "Greetings, how may I help you?"

What's in the envelope is likely to be a formal invitation or summons I'd guess. Depending on the nature of this existence and magic within it perhaps it may be a different means of initiating a dialogue, interrogation, or incarceration.
If the 'student' is just a delivery person I would accept their delivery, thank them and ask our guardians for guidance about what we have just been presented here before opening it. If they see nothing suspicious or threatening about it then chances are it's innocuous. On the other hand, legal actions, threat-traditions, and possibly also curses may be delivered in this way, and I do not have enough knowledge of the local traditions and habits to guide you about that.
>>
No. 550554 ID: 7d9538
File 138598425366.jpg - (170.22KB , 924x578 , 05Nemesis_Envelope2-1.jpg )
550554

I swallow nerviously. Ashley has stopped directing the dinner making and approched the door, not quite glaring at the newcomer. She nods when I look at her questioningly. I've never seen her this tense. The newcomer starts to hand me the letter when he freezes "Ah I should warn you. Try not to touch the blood. Unless you want to turn petty and selfish and vain. And even then, could you not. You don't have to be evil. People don't have to hurt one another. We can be good. " he says sounding like he is convincing him self as much as me. Nervously I reach out and grab the envelope from him, breaking the black wax seal marked with a sigil of a scarab. Within is piece of parchment and another envelope. The parchment is indeen stained with blood. Red and sticky, it makes opening it difficult. The message is written in a harsh and over complicated tongue.
>>
No. 550555 ID: 7d9538

(OOC: Contents of letter will be posted when when I am awake. Feel free to chat)
>>
No. 550564 ID: fd6ae9

That's... odd commentary for delivering a message. The question of to what extent we can control our decisions and actions is a complex one. It seems to weigh on his mind, though.

Blood being on the letter is weird. In addition to the question of whose or what's it is, there's the question of why. They'd been waiting the whole time you slept to speak to you, but they had to prepare this letter in such haste that they did not care it was bloodied? Or the place in which it was written is always bloodied? Or so commonplace as to go unnoticed or ignored? Or perhaps the blood has some kind of ceremonial or magical significance and was deliberately included?

If you're nervous about touching the blood, use a napkin to hold the letter. If people are making dinner and setting the table, there should be some around.

From Ashley's reaction, it would seem the person or persons who sent this letter aren't exactly held in high regard. Still, the boy seems nervous enough as it is. Let's reserve judgement until we know more.
>>
No. 550571 ID: 7d9538
File 138600668494.jpg - (284.43KB , 1500x993 , honey.jpg )
550571

I was going to tell you what the letter said, but just as I started reading it the smell and sight of the blood hit me. My stomach hurt with hunger and for a long moment I fought my self I wanted to lick and grab and _eat_ that blood so much I started to crinkle the parchment before, with a deep breath, I stopped and actually red the note. It was like someone had taken the taste of an evildoer lollipop and made it a hundred times stronger.
>>
No. 550572 ID: fd6ae9

Huh. So the blood is from the same kind of evildoer your father made the lolipop from?

On the one hand, that may mean it can't really hurt you (since it's something you ate before). Or maybe not- since it smells stronger, it may be more concentrated or potent than the lolipops.

Still, better not to risk it for now. Or to freak people out by licking up blood. Good self control.

...overall, not sure if this is a good thing. After all, if that blood is from an evildoer your mother fought, and they sought you out. Still up in the air, though.
>>
No. 550574 ID: 7d9538
File 138600813502.jpg - (14.66KB , 150x114 , bloodstained_letter_by_mahounoichigo-d3hx4s8.jpg )
550574

Dear Imperitrix,
I have claimed this place this Town as I once ruled the Earth. And you, the fruit of a loving, Angelic, cunt fall under my protection as well. For that reason I have done as your father asked and delivered this coat and his letter to you. I can see no curse or harm in them, other then the deep poison of a father's love.
Do not betray the Truce, instruct your servants to obey my laws, and attend my school when you are of age.
Or face my..whimsy.

Lord Entropy,
Imperator,
Rex Mundi
>>
No. 550575 ID: 7d9538

(The spoiler isn't actually a spoiler I just checked the box by accident and have t to go now. )
>>
No. 550579 ID: fd6ae9

>cunt
Well, that's a charming first impression, isn't it.

Well, so much for hiding. He knows where you are, and is in contact with one of the powers here.

I don't know about respecting this creatures' claim of ownership of the town, of if we should submit ourself to instruction in his school, but for the moment, a truce is attractive. You're in no position to fight, and you very much need time to grow.

Thank the messenger, tell him the truce will stand, and send him on his way.

Take the coat, but examine it closely. We'll have to really think on if you really wish to make use of a gift from your father, or set it aside.

...I really wish we had someone to talk to about this. Someone who would understand. (Maybe it's something we could discuss with the priestess the next time we see her? Hiding isn't such a priority anymore, but I still don't know if it's appropriate).

>Imperitrix
>Imperator
...why does he use (nearly) the same title for you and himself? Since he clearly considers you to be angelic, and himself to be otherwise. You'd think the opposing sides would have different ranks.
>>
No. 550582 ID: 7d9538
File 138601434819.jpg - (26.03KB , 284x436 , 64912603.jpg )
550582

I think Imperator is a more genral term then Angel, and I think mom complained about someone named Lord Entropy being very difficult to work with but also very talented at the War.
I do remember her complaing that the Angels who worked in heaven just didn't understand that the Imperators native to earth were just as powerful/important-to-negotiate-with as Angles and Devils.
>>
No. 550583 ID: 7d9538

Oh and Imperitrix is just the feminine.
>>
No. 550599 ID: 36c336

Well, alright then. Apparently we have been thrust into politics. The first rule of *surviving* politics is making enough friends, as few enemies as possible, and knowing everybody that's important enough to change things. Failure to do that leads to unpleasantness, like wars.
I think we need lots of help even understanding what we're being threatened with/offered here, so I guess start by asking the people in the house who to ask, and if they don't come up with useful answers it's time to ask Mother McCormic for help.
>>
No. 550607 ID: fd6ae9

>>550582
Ah, general term. Includes Angels, Demons(?), and... uh, Terrestrials? Let's go with that, until someone supplies us with better terminology.

>>550583
I assumed that much.

Doesn't change what action I think you should take now, and >>550599 is also thinking along the same lines. For the moment, our best move is to play nice until we're in a position to dictate the rules of the game.
>>
No. 550609 ID: 36c336

>>550572
>Huh. So the blood is from the same kind of evildoer your father made the lolipop from?
>On the one hand, that may mean it can't really hurt you (since it's something you ate before). Or maybe not- since it smells stronger, it may be more concentrated or potent than the lolipops.

I nominate the following as our working hypothesis: Anything which comes from father is intended to influence us towards his desires and ends. We don't know what those are, and therefore we can't trust him or his gifts.
We don't even know exactly why he murdered mother. Since we have to guess I'll start by suggesting those reasons include control of us. We desperately need more information but I do not like the murderous fiend as a simple, intuitive, emotional reaction. I'm not sold on the wisdom, or desirability, of being daddy's girl. Therefore we would need to treat everything that comes from him as suspect until proven, beyond all reasonable doubts, to be tolerably safe.
Of course this path probably sets us towards eventual conflict with father, so don't take it lightly. He gutted mom without even giving her a fair fight, so once things get to that level we will need powerful allies or the capacity to take out dear old dad ourself with the chutzpah to actually do it.
>>
No. 550653 ID: 10986f

> Ah, general term. Includes Angels, Demons(?), and... uh, Terrestrials? Let's go with that, until someone supplies us with better terminology.

Right, but for example, Dad isn't an Imperator.
>>
No. 550711 ID: aef4c1

The messenger boy seems to have some knowledge, and he's not above dispensing advice. We should ask him about the things we don't know, like the 'Truce' and 'Laws' mentioned in the letter, or who Entropy is - though perhaps not where everyone's listening in.
>>
No. 550899 ID: 00b2db
File 138630286202.jpg - (16.85KB , 470x300 , low-cloud-fog_13949_600x450.jpg )
550899

"Can I talk to ..err I don't think I got your name?" I ask the messenger.

"Entropy II. Son of Lord Entropy, and Student Council President by the Grace of the Light." A strange mixture of pride and regret in his voice.

Oh. Interesting. Maybe he's like me?

"Could we talk outside? I have some questions I want to keep private." I continue.
He blinks, "Sure. Mrs. Kartusky? May I speak with Ginger outside?"

Ashley frowns but nods. Entropy II turns and opens the door, holding it open as I walk through, and then gently closing it behind him. I walk into the street a little ways.

"So what do you want to know? I know my Father can be very ... unpleasant, but it's hard to hold his attention, and he does recognize innocence. I am afraid I don't know what that letter said. ." Entropy II says. He is trying to be kind and sweet like
mother was, but it's .. empty. Mom could be harsh, terrifying even but it was from love. This. . this older boy it's like he is looking at something else, something I could be. . not me.

I feel hungry again I want to know what he sees. I want to understand his desire, his dream for the world that is clouding his vision. I want to nurture it into a flame that will light his way.

"Well my first question is what is the Truce, and what are the Laws?"

"Well before your mother died their was a war between Creation/Existence/Reality and the Lands Beyond. However the lines between the two have become blurry with both most of Creation and apparently all of the Lands Beyond becoming what is now called the Outside. Because of this confusion there is a truce with the agents of nonbeing. We expect you to honor this truce and fight only if provoked. . but it is a frail truce and that same confusion that is its justification can lead to. .confrentations. Especially with those less connected to their leadership."
(More later but feel free to talk)
>>
No. 550906 ID: 36c336

"Do you know what my father is, and who his boss would be if he has one? I hardly ever saw him."
>>
No. 550908 ID: fd6ae9

So you're not without peers here, then. I suppose that's one less thing to worry about.

>empty kindness, but not love
>it's like he is looking at something else, something I could be. . not me.
Not entirely sure how to read that. The harsher reading is that he's only interested in who you might be, and you might be useful, if you side with them. Using you. A more forgiving reading is that he doesn't know you, but he has hopes for what might come of your presence here. That he sees potential.

>I want to know what he sees. I want to understand his desire, his dream for the world that is clouding his vision. I want to nurture it into a flame that will light his way.
Now that is a really interesting reaction. Are you responding to his seeming desire to make something (or someone) of you, or is this your own impulse? A desire to spur dreams to motivation?

>>550906
Maybe we could be more general, and expose less of our ignorance. Ask him what his father's connection to our own is, or what he knows of him.
>>
No. 550911 ID: 36c336

>550908
We're dealing with a situation where I want to know if these folks dislike daddy as much as my intuition says we should dislike him. If they think our relationship wasn't close they may be less reserved.
We also would most-likely be better served by knowing more than they think we know, not less: We're already under their power and they have already spared us. We are definitely in a political maneuvering situation, but, if the hypothesis about Entropy Junior being able to affect our emotions is on there's a pretty good chance Entropy has a good idea how ignorant we are already, or (and this is just a wild guess) father may have told him when they had their discussion about us.
As a last-nail kind of thing about the prospect of trying to actively deceive Entropy or Entropy Junior: We seem to be very, very bad at deception. There would be little point in failing to lie about knowing more than we do, so let's not waste time, effort, and Entropy Junior's patience by trying. Let's put on the to-do list looking up whether angelic imperators tend to be bad at lying by nature though, if so we'll just have to cross a lot of forms of deception out of our playbook. If not we've got a world of catching up to do for a child who appears to have nearly no experience with deception whatsoever.

About the strange feeling of wanting to see this boy's vision: We know that we unintentionally exercised our gifts while meditating, and we noticeably changed sunlight by doing it. We have no idea what powers Entropy or Entropy Jr. have or how those are affecting us, so be very wary of any unfamiliar or strong emotions. Overall we seem to have a large number of odd or troubling impulses, like attraction to the blood on daddy's letter, that could cause a surprising amount of harm because we're dealing with possible threats we just have no concepts about. Consider the nature of radon gas for mortals: Poisonous, but they can't smell it or know where it is without either correctly interpreting the symptoms of it poisoning them (requiring detailed medical knowledge) or using detection abilities which they do not natively have. Radon poisoning is the mental model I would like to suggest for considering things like 'urges to lick up blood' or other strange emotions. If we don't know what's going on or why something is happening it may just be that someone is doing something to us.
>>
No. 550935 ID: 10986f

I relay your question to him, and for a moment there is a hint of genuine connection, of sympathy, in his gaze.

"I do not know for sure, but this jacket belongs to the oldest of the Warmains, who broke the gate keepers of heaven, and personaly killed the Imperator of the 5 age. Ensuring that the 4th age will be the last.

It that is the case then He would be his own leader. And clear action from him would shatter the truce."
>>
No. 550936 ID: 36c336

"Then if you have not already done so since my arrival you should ask heaven if they still think the truce holds. There was conflict."
>>
No. 550940 ID: fd6ae9

>Warmains
Does that name mean anything to you, Jasper?

Continue to hear him out, see what else we can learn. At the end, tell him that for now, you will honor the truce.

>>550911
Fair enough. (Although I might attribute 'bad at deception' more to her age and experience than her angelic heritage).
>>
No. 550950 ID: 5e7f56
File 138635703474.jpg - (3.16KB , 134x146 , 2013-12-06-11-00-08-1373343594.jpg )
550950

> So you're not without peers here, then. I suppose that's one less thing to worry about. 
Yeah. So far I like Lady Bentenmaru and the kids here better though. Still Entropy II is interesting, and nicer then the letter from his Father.

> Not entirely sure how to read that. [Snip]
Hmm. Both of those make sense. I...I still want to be friends if I can.

> Now that is a really interesting reaction. Are you responding to his seeming desire to make something (or someone) of you, or is this your own impulse? A desire to spur dreams to motivation? 
Hmm. Well I think my feeling is about him. Like even if he was looking at someone else I would feel the same. So the second I think.
> Maybe we could be more general, and expose less of our ignorance. Ask him what his father's connection to our own is, or what he knows of him.
Sorry! I was already talking when you warned me. I kind of suck at subtlness.
>  If we don't know what's going on or why something is happening it may just be that someone is doing something to us.
Scary!
> Angelic Imperators and being bad at lieing.
Err well I never caught mom lieing with words, she did talk a lot about deception in sword fighting. I was really bad at that. Like even worse then I was at the rest.
Also I'm not an Angel, if I am really an Imperator now, being native to earth, I would technically be "Terrestrial". I mean I don't know what that means exactly, but even if Angels are bad at lieing I might not be or vice versa.
Also Lucifer /is/ Lies and he, as well as the rest of the Devils, used to be an Angel before he said bad guys shouldn't be punished and was thrown in Hell.
>>
No. 550991 ID: 36c336

>Yeah. So far I like Lady Bentenmaru and the kids here better though. Still Entropy II is interesting, and nicer then the letter from his Father.

We don't know what our father said or all of what Entropy thinks of our father. We don't know if he thinks we're spying on him. We don't know if he is being threatened or otherwise involved in anything we could be affecting just by existing in his town. I do know that I would find an injured stranger showing up unannounced to be cause for caution.
Entropy has lots of fair reasons to be suspicious of us: One of those is the person that sent us the blood-soaked letter and a coat with intimidating significance. He did say that they were soaked in the *poison* of a father's love. He obviously didn't hold our mother in high esteem either if he calls her a cunt in a letter to her own daughter. Writing things like that in a letter to a stranger was unexpectedly rude I'd say. That likely means there is a depth of passion, or some kind of trick, involved.
That all means it could be very bad for us to spill our guts and admit stuff, like that our mother hid us away and taught us fencing, up until we saw her assassinated by father. We are unavoidably in a relationship here, but we have mutual distrust of each other's purposes and intentions. That situation is why I would say we are now involved in politics.
If I missed something important analyzing all this please fill in the other parts.

So, I would be very careful in what I say to either Entropy or Entropy Junior. As our current 'host' we should make sure he isn't caught by surprise if the truce did break when mom died. That fact is very relevant to the possibility of upcoming attacks.
Figuring out how to say that is a little difficult. Another option may be, "I don't know if 'the truce' is still holding actually, I'm a bit confused about what it means. I just know that I arrived here fleeing from trouble and that I don't want more even if that means putting up with having your father insult my mother."

I'd also like to ask Entropy about the 'poison of a father's love' statement in his letter, because it may be that a letter covered in blood which induces creepy impulses is literally poisoned. Unfortunately I am having trouble wording this in a way that doesn't sarcastically tell him off for being rude.
>>
No. 550996 ID: 10986f
File 138639188856.jpg - (2.25KB , 120x90 , thoughts.jpg )
550996

You did miss a couple of things I think.

1) The bloody letter is from Lord Entropy, I still haven't read the letter Lord Entropy claims is from my Father. The bundle of cloth that Entropy II is carrying does look like his jacket, so that part of Entropy's story holds up.


2) The truce happened _after_ (and I think because of) my Mother's death. I am pretty sure that Dad did not expect what did happen to have happened. Mom's really important and it makes sense that Celestia would fall apart..but everywhere?

About Lord Entropy calling mom names; I mean Mom was warm to the touch and inspiring..like the sun? Maybe Lord Entropy is rude because scorn and desecration are rude? Of course that could be hiding a trick...
>>
No. 550997 ID: 10986f
File 138639237568.jpg - (3.43KB , 225x225 , thoughts 2.jpg )
550997

>> Warmains
>Does that name mean anything to you, Jasper?
I think dad said he was a Warmain, once when I asked if he was an angel, but would never tell me what that meant other than that he and Mom were on opposite sides of the War.
Mom said the war was about protecting Creation from those who wanted to destroy it, but dad never talked about the war, saying I should talk to mom about it.
>>
No. 551003 ID: fd6ae9

>So the second I think.
Not a bad impulse. Makes you a kind of leader maybe, or at least, someone who seeks to better others. It's a good trait.

>I kind of want to be his friend
Nothing wrong with that, I think.

>sorry
>I kind of suck at subtlness.
It's okay. No real harm done, and I was probably being overly cautious.

>angel / terrestrial
...but you're not native to the earth, you fell to it. It's decided by where you are, not where you're from? I see why Entropy just sticks with the general term.

>there's another letter. From your father
Whups. Totally missed that there was a second letter.

...not entirely sure how to feel about that. Do you want to hear what he has to say?
>>
No. 551011 ID: 36c336

>The bloody letter is from Lord Entropy, I still haven't read the letter Lord Entropy claims is from my Father. The bundle of cloth that Entropy II is carrying does look like his jacket, so that part of Entropy's story holds up.

Wait, wait, we were just delivered a poison-pen letter by Entropy, and his own son warned us about it? I am... utterly confused by this unless it was a rather crude attempt to get rid of us or test who/what we are.

And the more we talk about this truce the less I understand.

"I'm totally confused. Why would your father send me a letter which insults my mom, covered in blood that seems to hold a curse? This is so far outside of how politeness works that I can't make much sense of it. Is he trying to tell me to go away, or convince me to challenge him to a duel, or what?"
>>
No. 551021 ID: fd6ae9

>>551011
That seems overly rather harsh, if she's trying to befriend him in spite of his father. Remember also, he's ignorant of the contents of the letter.

It's a fairly obvious it's a test, since as he sees it, we're on his turf. Meaning we're either a problem to manage, a resource to use, or an opponent to be dealt with. Complicated by our powerful father who reached out to him. The brusk tone and casual insult is a way of establishing his own power in the situation (he's saying/showing he doesn't need to be respectful).

As for the blood, it's inclusion was either unavoidable / unnoticed (he's always bleeding, or working in or around blood) or it was done deliberately (as another kind of test).

Although I suppose we could just ask why the letter is bloodied, anyways.

>I don't understand the truce
It's simply an agreement not to stir up shit or start a fight, because the last one almost destroyed everything. Potential enemies have been temporarily scared strait, enough to not only honor, but enforce, a truce.
>>
No. 551033 ID: 36c336

>551021

I know what the dictionary definition of truce is. What I'm having trouble with is the question of who it is formally between, who else is affected by it directly, who monitors it, who can break it, who does it specifically not apply to, and how (if) it is enforced.

And you're probably right about that being too harsh for how we should speak to Entropy Junior. You could be right about why his father is insulting our parents, but my intuition suggests this is a test more than anything of how we'll react to all these... stimuli and how we were raised.

Second try: "Your father's letter is very puzzling to me. I'm rather alarmed by the blood on it, and what he wrote in it seems to come from a very unfamiliar standard of politeness. If you can safely handle it I would be very interested in your interpretation."
>>
No. 551041 ID: e828aa

>angel / terrestrial ...but you're not native to the earth, you fell to it. It's decided by where you are, not where you're from? I see why Entropy just sticks with the general term. 

Oh I think I see the confusion. Mom taught me about this but I never told you. There's like Earth proper where most of humanity lives, but there are lots of little places with their own rules that are connected to Earth. Like Celestia (my home, which i have incoretly called heaven a few times) or, The Mirror Palace of Her Highness Mehet-Weret, or Surolam's Locust Court. But when talking about the whole Tree, and places like Heaven and Hell, 'Earth' really means the Earth and everywhere nearby. Sort of like how a map of the whole of Europe might just have a region labled London where a map of England will have lots of little cities.

Or at least that was how it worked before.
>>
No. 551389 ID: 47b6ab
File 138669517245.jpg - (5.00KB , 177x147 , images-5.jpg )
551389

> Second try: "Your father's letter is very puzzling to me. I'm rather alarmed by the blood on it, and what he wrote in it seems to come from a very unfamiliar standard of politeness. If you can safely handle it I would be very interested in your interpretation."

I recite your question, because I don't think I am good at that sort of careful speech, handing him his Father's letter.

He effortlessly manages to avoid the blood. Almost like his hands arent actually touching it.

He reads it and then lopsidedly frowns. "Yes, Father is, consistently inconsistent with his politeness. Formal flattery in one breath, crude insults in the next.

The blood is actually kind of an..honor is not the right word, but mark of importance. It means he wrote this Him self, instead of using Hugh or a nimblejack, but it is dangerous. You perhaps would be only weakly affected, (It never seems to get on me somehow.) but your housemates could become his tools and so find them selves pulled to the road of corruption, petty spite, and vice that dogs those that serve the Rex Mundi. This place's simple virtue would probably shield them, but..." he trails off. "Was there something else you wanted to ask?"
>>
No. 551391 ID: fd6ae9

>blood is an... honor?
Makes an odd sort of sense.

>would might be harmful or corruptive to your housemates
Also (regrettably) logical. If we're unsure how safe concentrated bad-guy juice would be safe for you, it makes sense it wouldn't be safe for mortals. You'll have to dispose of the letter properly, later. And keep it on your person, rather than where someone could accidentally come across it before then.

>other questions
Maybe find out where to go if we want to talk to him later. (Kind of necessary if you want to be his friend, after all).

I believe you had another letter for me?
>>
No. 551414 ID: 36c336

It keeps ballooning out in complexity, ugh. At least we're slowly chewing through the list of problems and topics.

"One thing is just how figurative your father's words, 'Poison of a father's love,' is. That reads like a warning to me, and I'd like to know what it's about.
"You halfway answered another question, which is whether he was trying to give me any implied messages, like, 'Go away,' or, 'You're being watched.' I know little about him, you, or the way things work generally for terrestrials, so I could miss indirect statements like that.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't insult your father by voicing vague worries and suspicions. Your father has graciously extended his hospitality to me: Thank you both. If you weren't busy I'd ask where you would go to have a more relaxed conversation around here, but I'd imagine you've got other commitments. So, failing that how and when should I get back in touch with your father later, and yourself?
>>
No. 551468 ID: fd6ae9

>>551414
>Poison of a father's love
It has a double meaning. He's both being rude again (dismissing a father's love as weakness) and giving us a more literal warning (we have a dangerous father we aren't sure how we should feel about anymore, or if we can or should ever trust him again. His love, attention or influence may be dangerous to us).
>>
No. 551470 ID: 36c336

>>551468
Something doesn't have to be specifically cursed or poisoned to be bad for us; consider those 'evildoer lollipops' Father has given us in the past. That's why I want to know if we're being warned merely that our dad is a bad actor in his opinion, or if there's more to it.
>>
No. 551750 ID: 10986f
File 138689628056.jpg - (91.98KB , 1200x1200 , talking.jpg )
551750

I tap my chin thinking. "Umm. I want to know if Lord Entropy means anything in specific by 'the poison of a fathers love'?"

Entropy II speaks with a measured but frustrated tone. "Its probobly just him acting on his anti-love creed, but he might be trying to provoke you into revealing your loyalties. Afterall, you inheriting your Mother's estate is unzusual.. but Excrusians are known to use dead Imperators to make Mimics, Imperators instinctively loyal to the weakening of Creation instead of preserving its Estates. "Excrusian" is the generic term for the Warmains, Mimics, Decivers, and Moralists, those beings that warred against Creation."

I nod and then ask "So..how can I contact you in the future?"

"Well my home is not really accessible..but I have an office at School, and Dad often stays late at School. So you could have someone relay a message, or you could come to Horizon yourself. I would be willing to meet just about anywhere in Town proper. Fortitude has some very nice tea/coffee houses, and of course if you are willing to run out of money, arcadia is an very nice place to have some food and drink while talking."
>>
No. 551756 ID: 88960e

We inherited her estate? Hmm. I wonder if that's meant literally or metaphysically.

Thank him for his time and patience, and then you've got another letter to read. By yourself this time, I think.
>>
No. 551758 ID: 36c336

>>551756
Entropy Junior didn't promise that dad's letter hadn't been snooped. Let's save that for after dinner.

I suppose we are better off not yet inviting him out for a social occasion.

"It is very nice to meet you, but I'm not prepared for a date right now. Can we schedule that for another time?"
>>
No. 551775 ID: d96503

A date? Isn't that like for boyfriends, and kissy stuff?
>>
No. 551787 ID: fd6ae9

I'm pretty sure you want to read your father's letter in private, considering it's likely going to be difficult for you, and provoke an emotional reaction.

>>551775
Uh, yes it can be. Considering the apparent age difference, I'm pretty sure that's not how you want to word that. He's more friend (or surrogate brother?) potential at this point than romantic.
>>
No. 551808 ID: 36c336

>>551775
>>551787

Well, my idea was to embarrass him into not feeling hurt about our rejection of his offer. I agree it could use work, but I'm not sure how to handle it.
>>
No. 551812 ID: 10986f
File 138693785726.jpg - (112.49KB , 640x480 , 640x480_15167_Balance_2d_fantasy_angel_sword_woman.jpg )
551812

Hmmm. I wonder if he has a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Though imagining him kissing is kind of weird. Just doesn't fit his. . hands? Aura?

An image of Mother and Dad kissing and me pouting at them frustrated at them not paying attention to me pops into my head, and I want to smile and burst into tears at the same time.

I don't want to cry in front of this boy, and so I can feel my eyes flip around in my head, showing their silver side.

"Thank you. I will make use of your services when I need them." I bow and pluck the jacket from his hands, turning to walk inside.

He seems mildly nonplused at my actions, but bows back. "I hope I can be useful. Take care, be good. " he says with a sense of conviction that reminds me of Mom's lessons.

I walk into the house, noding to the gathered people eating dinner and head up to my room, the door closing behind me with a strange finality. I carefully place Lord Entropy's letter into the drawer of my desk that locks, and lock it.

I carefully lay my dad's jacket and letter on the chair. Then go and lie down on the bed, and burst into tears.

Emotions suck.

Also dad is going to recive justice. I don't know how, but it can't be stopped.
>>
No. 551826 ID: fd6ae9

>mildly nonplused
Well, it is hard to know how to react to someone brushing you off while struggling with her own emotions.

>I want to smile and burst into tears at the same time.
>Emotions suck.
They can. I'm sorry you're in pain. But, since it sort of is an option for you, I'd like to reiterate that they're still better than the alternative. As bad as they get at times, emotions are still better than no emotions.

>dad is going to recive justice. I don't know how, but it can't be stopped.
...if that's what you want, we'll help you see that through. Though I couldn't say what that justice would be at this point.

When you're feeling any better, are you up to face any more of this tonight? Do you want to examine the coat, or see what he had to say to you?
>>
No. 551838 ID: 91d829

>...if that's what you want, we'll help you see that through. Though I couldn't say what that justice would be at this point. 
>>
No. 551855 ID: 36c336

Justice is a social construct generally, a resolution to a conflict or problem intended to last indefinitely. Figuring out what standard of justice to apply is a difficult question.
Meanwhile we should forget this and read father's letter later. We have to go have dinner, and we may be asked some questions that maybe we should answer.
>>
No. 551875 ID: 00b2db
File 138698635127.jpg - (311.73KB , 2560x1440 , bleak-sun.jpg )
551875

Some time passes.

>...if that's what you want, we'll help you see that through. Though I couldn't say what that justice would be at this point.
I do. Its what Mom would want. I might not be an Angel, or be let in Heaven, but I can still serve Justice and Beauty. I need to know why though. I ..I can't imagine anything that would justify what He did, but I should still learn why He did it. It wouldn't be just otherwise.

I think I am ready to read the letter.

Dear Jasper, Beloved Daughter.

I wish I could apologize for what I have done. I wish I could tell you I am sorry, but it was necessary. I should have known, she should have known, we both should have known this day would come. I had long thought it would be I who would do the unforgivable. I have broken spirits and wills, I have ruined worlds. She has fought against my kin, she has arranged for loss and tragedy to haunt our lives.

But nothing prepared me for what she was willing to do.

She talked of bringing revolution to the Lands Beyond, she talked of counter attacks, of growing your creation such that it could never fall.

These were horrors of war. Awful, terible, but ultimately expeted.

She though she did _that_ not for the war, but to hurt me. Why else would she choose _her_ my daughter. Our doughter.

She is one of us now. A Warmain..broken. Searching..

Maybe she will find what she needs in this creation. What your mother took from her.

I tried to get it back from her, but even in death my Love spited me. I don't even know anymore where this prison, this treasure cell's walls end anymore. The Lands beyond have been contaminated with reality, with logic, and meaning.

I have called off those soldiers that will listen to me, and even the Moralists seem confused by what has happened, forgetful of their origin, more philosophers then killers now.

Still I am building a college here, a Bleak Academy where even the Outside fades, and we can almost remember the Sunless Lands we hailed from.

And maybe someone I teach there will discover how to win the war I once fought.

I can not..or perhaps will not compel you to come, but you are my daugher. And if you ever need sanctuary from Creation's meanings, If you wish to know how and why I fought, then come earn a Bleak Degree.
>>
No. 551877 ID: 00b2db

Uhh..I think I understand like a quarter of this.

Help?
>>
No. 551894 ID: 36c336

Insufficient information: I'm not even sure how many different people he's talking about with pronouns. It could be that he's talking about at least one person that isn't you or your mother here. In particular, I suspect he's not talking about you when he's using the word 'doughter' there, for instance, because it would be very unusual to treat you as an indirect-object like that in a letter addressed to you.

What I do know is that most of the best scams are something complicated, cryptic or hidden enough that they leave the victim confused: A confused person tends to be more easily manipulated. Another simple interpretation is that he's being deliberately obtuse in describing things to replace your feelings of betrayal or anger with the feeling of confusion. I am a suspicious soul though; I expect an entity as old as your father should easily have become competent with written words by now, and this is part of my assumptions in trying to interpret this.
>>
No. 551910 ID: fd6ae9

Huh. He chances personhood / pronouns quickly, it's hard to tell at points if he's talking about your mother or you, or to your mother or you (or about some third person? Another daughter?). Did he always speak like this? If not, his language would imply he's under a great stress or some kind, or perhaps confused.

The war seems to have been between the forces or reality or creation (your mother's side) and the forces of... void? Opposition? Emptiness? Outside? A competing model of some kind. Reality could not tolerate the void, and the void could not tolerate reality.

He seems to be saying your mother had some plan / was doing something that would win the war- that seemed to have hinged on you. Or was being done to you. (Or your unknown sister, if that's the right way to read this). And that was what ultimately moved his hand.

Not sure if he's saying some remnant of your mother is broken and searching and lost, or if that's how he's describing or sees what happened to you. (He made her a Warmain, or counts you as one?).

In any event, things went very badly for him when everything fell apart, and he and his kind are trapped and stranded and trying to rebuild. We have an invitation, at least. Which you may need to take up some day, if you wish to find your answers. Or deliver justice.

...he didn't mention the significance of the coat, though. I suppose you should examine it. Anything of significance? Or hidden in the pockets? You'll have to decide if you want it, or not.
>>
No. 551920 ID: 36c336

>>551910
>Huh. He chances personhood / pronouns quickly, it's hard to tell at points if he's talking about your mother or you, or to your mother or you (or about some third person? Another daughter?). Did he always speak like this? If not, his language would imply he's under a great stress or some kind, or perhaps confused.

There is another possible interpretation. If I see where you're going with this you're suggesting he has difficulty with (hostility to?) fixed concepts of identity/individuality. If that's a function of him being part of nonexistence that could explain a lot.
Developing that idea, naming, definition and interaction may be crimes or injuries to him, along with existence itself.
>>
No. 552192 ID: 00b2db
File 138714635251.gif - (307.59KB , 1500x1025 , Perfect Handwriting.gif )
552192

Hmm Sown into the lining of the coat is a tag saying 'Honorary Uniform of the Bleak Academy, Property of Jasper Irinka. Wearer is Protected by the Headmaster.'

I'm not sure how much good it will do given its on the inside..but then again I could recognize it. Maybe others will be able to too?

In the left pocket is _another_ letter. Its on really elegant stationary with lines and holes pre-punched in the side, On the bottom is a large elegant signature.

Dear Sister,
I am told that you were born before me but are younger. This is obviously impractical. By the time my transfer comes in I expect you to have resolved this. Once I have received my Natural Philosophy Degree I will be coming to your School. Too, too many school children graduate with impractical and unrealistic dreams and aspirations. I even here that miracles and magic still exist in your blighted existence. Well, you should get those over with, because when I come I will show you that hope is pointless, and dreams are worse than Lies.

Ms. Senko,
Warmain in Training

P.S. Father sends his love.
P.S.S. Father has said that this letter is overy aggressive. I disagree. It is a matter of simple fact that I will crush your hopes and dreams.
>>
No. 552195 ID: 36c336

Heh... your 'younger sister' seems to take existentialism all the way to nihilism. If this is common in Excrusian thought then either they think that hopes and dreams are futile (and their removal a blessing) or it's surprising that they managed to destroy as much of creation as they did in light of their own lack of aspirations.

"Excrusian" philosophy is interesting to me, and it seems to be of practical interest to your future since some of its practitioners apparently have interest in your existence. However, while I have been known to follow a moderately-fatalistic interpretation of existentialism myself I'd tend to expect that nihilism is self-defeating.
Sorry if that's going over your head, I'm commenting on the philosophy at work which supports the intentions and actions of your father and sister. If you want to know what I was mumbling about there I'm happy to explain any of the terms or how they fit together in more detail.

A more practical interest is what the heck 'Outside' is and 'The Lands Beyond' were and why they came into conflict with 'Creation.'
Understanding that seems to be key to understanding what they're all fighting about, and the emotional (action-causing) drives behind their actions. Logic informs, and focuses but in my experience it is always emotion that drives action: Physical violence is definitely action, isn't it?
>>
No. 552212 ID: fd6ae9

So you did have a sister. One of you for each parent to raise, and the other to visit? Of do the two of you share a father, but have different mothers?

Confirmation of a third party does make your father's letter a little easier to read, but there are still points where it is hard to tell who he's talking about. (For instance, did your mother's plans involve you or her? What did she take from her?).

Really, though, I'm still not sure what to think of either of them. How do you feel, now that you know you have another sibling, unusual as her message was?

While we can't be sure of the outcome, or the consequences we can take from this that she does plan to confront you some day. That's a reaffirmation that that you should be training yourself mentally and physically, to be prepared.

...how do we feel about the coat? On the one hand, it might be a useful ward against some things that might be a threat, and it is a gift from family. On the other hand, accepting and wearing it has a certain... symbolism. Significance, in context. Are you comfortable with that, or would you prefer to do without the possible protection?
>>
No. 552230 ID: 36c336

>>552212
>For instance, did your mother's plans involve you or her? What did she take from her?.

I would (speculatively) point you back at this:

>I don't even know anymore where this prison, this treasure cell's walls end anymore. The Lands beyond have been contaminated with reality, with logic, and meaning.

This is why I think the question of the physics/metaphysics of before and after the big war is important: It probably explains a whole lot about what's going on in Outside and why there was a war (instead of a poetry slam or a clambake) in the first place.
If I had to guess the thing that both Creation and Outside really need is to be separated again, but this is little more than a guess. Hopefully what we can find out from mom's "Estate" will fill in some details.
>>
No. 552234 ID: 00b2db

"existentialism" so philosophy about existence as a cause? Wouldn't that be opposite to what people trying to destroy the world would think?

>Physical violence is definitely action, isn't it?

It is. He was Angry. He might have justification, or rationalization, but He killed Mom because he was Angry.

> So you did have a sister. One of you for each parent to raise, and the other to visit? Of do the two of you share a father, but have different mothers?

I maybe? I guess I wouldn't remember if she left long enough ago. I bet you can't help me about the born sooner but older thing. Its probably weird.

> Really, though, I'm still not sure what to think of either of them. How do you feel, now that you know you have another sibling, unusual as her message was?

I don't think I like her. She sounds ... weird, or scary.

Though, after..what happened.. 'scary' doesn't mean what it used to.

> ...how do we feel about the coat? On the one hand, it might be a useful ward against some things that might be a threat, and it is a gift from family. On the other hand, accepting and wearing it has a certain... symbolism. Significance, in context. Are you comfortable with that, or would you prefer to do without the possible protection?

I don't ..I don't know. I don't trust him. And I don't think I can forgive him, but..he was so angry. What if what Mom did really was that bad?

But anyway..I guess thats not quite relevant yet. If I am not going to kill him. I never want to see him again..but if I am maybe I should pretend to forgive him?

This..this is complicated.
>>
No. 552237 ID: fd6ae9

>"existentialism" so philosophy about existence as a cause? Wouldn't that be opposite to what people trying to destroy the world would think?
The actual focus of the philosophy tends to be on the existence of self, not of everything else. It ends up focusing on the individual to the detriment of everything else; treating the world more as something that is unknowable and indifferent, if not openly hostile.

It sort of makes sense as a comparable ethos for beings who want to define themselves without or outside reality.

>can't help with the age thing
Probably not. We'll take that as it comes, if and when you encounter her.

>What if what Mom did really was that bad?
That's... almost certainly something we can't decide right now. We're trying to judge the actions of people in a war over causes we don't quite understand, with consequences we don't fully understand, and bonds of family tangled throughout. We'd need to know a lot more to judge, and even if we knew enough, whether what she did was right or wrong is almost certainly a matter of perspective or opinion.

One people's monster is anther's hero, after all.

>Should I pretend to forgive him to kill him?
...I wouldn't. It might work, but maintaining that kind of lie long enough to matter is very hard on yourself. It changes you. And if I haven't misjudged him, I don't think you will need that lie to approach him. He values freedom, he hopes to win you to his point of view, and he still loves you.

If you come to him, conflicted, looking for answers, he'll take the risk of letting you get close. Even though that gives you the chance to deliver justice if you chose too.

>on wearing the coat, or not
I'm not asking you to forgive him, either. More... do you harbor enough doubt to tolerate his symbol? Or to accept it as a symbol of those of his intentions that were good, in spite of the terrible thing he did? Or if your convictions on this are set- are you pragmatic enough to claim a useful resource regardless of the source (or to use your enemy's tools for your own purpose)?

Sorry if I'm making you think on this, but I feel kind of uncomfortable telling you to take it up or set it aside, since what it means to you is almost the most important part of the decision.
>>
No. 552247 ID: 36c336

>"existentialism" so philosophy about existence as a cause? Wouldn't that be opposite to what people trying to destroy the world would think?
Ha, a thumbnail sketch of existentialism: Can do.
Life is often claimed to have meaning from particular external sources of validation or authority, like other people, or particular actions and things. Existentialism arose as a contrast with those traditions, and takes inspiratin from falsifiability--the idea that any proposition that couldn't be tested and theoretically proved false in some way is empty. I.E. Our ideas about gravity making things fall could be disproved by trying to drop something and it not falling. (Yes, smoke rises instead of falling quite often, I can explain that too if you ask but then I'd have to give physics lessons.)
If you extend the notion of falsifiability you can get the idea that there is nothing that is truly certain, and therefore there is nothing external that would be an enduring truth to base moral codes or meaning on. What that leaves is meaning coming from our own, fragile, creation of that meaning alone. This has an interesting parallel to the notion of Creation existing in opposition to Outside--that is apparently a literal description of your world.
Existential nihilism is the position that life is flatly without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.

>He killed Mom because he was Angry.
Or afraid? Not enough information yet.

>I bet you can't help me about the born sooner but older thing. Its probably weird.
Heh... if meaning, logic and reality are unfamiliar and strange Outside my guess is that time, aging, growth or something else that affects one of those didn't work the way that it does in Creation. Somehow I'm just not very worried about her: If she's hostile she's also dumb enough to give up the element of surprise just to trash talk you. I would be more worried if she's coming to try and help you actually.

>I should pretend to forgive him?
We probably need his help to even understand what justice is in this case. Also, justice does not flow from anger, that would be vengeance.
>>
No. 552406 ID: 6bc048
File 138728852380.png - (368.48KB , 1090x718 , sketch92.png )
552406

> Existentialism.
Yeah. I Don't think mom would like that much. The Song of Heaven is good, and other standards can at best imitate. Not that Angels can't screw up, an Angel killed the Dinosaurs and scared the Gods of Earth into creating Prosaic Reality where math is more important then karma! (I don't really know what that means, I've never been there.)

And yeah I think that my Father and sister sound like they might believe something like Existentialism.

> One people's monster is anther's hero, after all.
Huh?

> If you come to him, conflicted, looking for answers, he'll take the risk of letting you get close. Even though that gives you the chance to deliver justice if you chose too. 
Could it be a trap? No, if he wanted he could have killed me. Well maybe not. .hmm.

> I'm not asking you to forgive him, either. More... do you harbor enough doubt to tolerate his symbol? Or to accept it as a symbol of those of his intentions that were good, in spite of the terrible thing he did? Or if your convictions on this are set- are you pragmatic enough to claim a useful resource regardless of the source (or to use your enemy's tools for your own purpose)? 
I think I do. Though, Lord Entropy already doesn't trust me, using the jacket won't help that. Still it could be very useful if I encounter Dad's friends.

> Sorry if I'm making you think on this, but I feel kind of uncomfortable telling you to take it up or set it aside, since what it means to you is almost the most important part of the decision.
Its okay. This sort of thing is what I made you for! :)

>  Or afraid? Not enough information yet. 
The letter sounds like he was both.
> If she's hostile she's also dumb enough to give up the element of surprise just to trash talk you.
Hmm. Yeah. Well she is still in training.
> I would be more worried if she's coming to try and help you actually. 
Really? Why?
> We probably need his help to even understand what justice is in this case. Also, justice does not flow from anger, that would be vengeance.
Right. Justice should be beautiful and good for society.
>>
No. 552411 ID: fd6ae9

>>One people's monster is anther's hero, after all.
>Huh?
Well, it's all about what side you're on. Perspective. To one side in the war, someone could be the friend and ally who brings them hope and victory. To the other, they can be the hated force of destruction who brings death and defeat. Hero to one- monster to the other.

Having two (or more) standards is the kind of thing that would make judging if your mother did something wrong hard. ...especially when we don't know exactly what she did, or fully understand either standard.

>Could it be a trap? No, if he wanted he could have killed me. Well maybe not. .hmm.
Potentially? If it is a trap, I'm not sure it's the kind meant to kill. Certainly, as much as your father would be taking a risk letting you come to him while uncertain of your motives, you would be taking a risk going to him. Especially in a place of his power.

...that said, I'm not sure we can decide how to handle him and his offer, tonight. And we have a few years before we have to start picking out schools, right?

>>I would be more worried if she's coming to try and help you actually.
>Really? Why?
Concern about what form of help that would be, perhaps? And in some ways a direct attack is easier to respond to. ...although, we're not entirely clear on what motivates her. It's not clear if her message is meant as a threat, or if she does believe that would be helping you.
>>
No. 552419 ID: 522064
File 138729700063.jpg - (1.16MB , 959x1300 , opening-closet-doors-1989794.jpg )
552419

Grr. I'm going to put the letters in the locked drawer of the desk and the Jacket in the closet.
Then I'll go tell Ashley that I am going to bed. Maybe this will be easier to figure out in the morning.
>>
No. 552488 ID: 36c336

>Prosaic Reality where math is more important then karma!
Sorry, I find this concept quite amusing for... reasons. I may be able to suggest things relating to it once I know more about it.
I also have a profound respect for the idea of falsifiability: I'm more of an empiricist than an existentialist however. Maybe in Outside it isn't a mistake to go as far as nihilism? That's as scary a thought as any.

>I think I do. Though, Lord Entropy already doesn't trust me, using the jacket won't help that. Still it could be very useful if I encounter Dad's friends.
Or little sister.

I am more concerned by what your sister's concepts of help are than harm because it's far easier to be motivated to 'help' someone than harm them. The people that terrify me the most want to help you but won't accept the notion that they're mistaken about what help is. They can try to destroy you, and get help to 'help' you from all their friends that think like they do, and never feel guilt or uncertainty about what they're doing.
So, I reiterate: Your sister hating you and coming to hurt you? Really not a threat, especially if Entropy is still protecting you. I would imagine that you shouldn't have too much trouble asking other Creation powers for help with an Excrusian even if Entropy is too busy; this is where the title of Imperator means something.

>Maybe this will be easier to figure out in the morning.
I suspect not, but we probably won't make much more progress without more information anyway. It's worth shelving this until we have appreciably more information to work with.
>>
No. 552505 ID: fd6ae9

>It's worth shelving this until we have appreciably more information to work with.
Yeah. And if you're comfortable using the coat for what advantages it brings when we need it, that at least is taken care of.

Goodnight, Jasper.
>>
No. 552897 ID: 7e7b17

Thanks Voice!

---

A new day dawns.

So who should I hang out with for the next couple of weeks? I..I don't think I am ready to wear Dads jacket yet, but I think I should definitely think about it when I go to school. I don't trust either Entropy, and looking like I have other people who care about me could be..useful.

*pout*. I don't like thinking like this..it feels strangely more natural than mom's ethics , but it's not nice.

Its apparently school break so might be a good time to get to know an older kid, or visit a shrine as the whole family should be there.

Or I could go look for a dojo or fencing hall. Ashley said she thought the Yatskaya family or the Rats might teach people, and that she thinks there's all sorts of clubs in and around School, and Arcadia has a number of 'exotic weapon stores' that might teach how to use what they sell.

I am going to do more meditation classes I think. Maybe not treck all the way out to the shrine every day, but do the exercises at home most days and check in once a week?

Thoughts?

>...
>>
No. 552901 ID: 88960e

>I don't like thinking like this..it feels strangely more natural than mom's ethics , but it's not nice.
What's pragmatic and what's ethical aren't always the same thing. But they aren't always different, either. All you can do is decide if it's worth taking a stand when conflicts arise.

>practice meditation, but not check into the shrine every day
Sounds good. That'll free up a little time.

>what do
Well, I'd be interested in checking in on the temple again at some point. Meeting annother shrine family might be good too, as would researching our options for getting a real weapon and training. How much time do we have?

Also, now that we know there are people who know, and we know your father knows where you are, we don't have to be so paranoid about your identity. I wouldn't go out of your way to tell anyone, but there's no need to hide or panic with those who can see.
>>
No. 552909 ID: 36c336

If you knew how to bake, and knew what he liked, I'd consider baking something for Entropy Junior as a thank you.
There are also times that a sword either will be lost, disarmed, or unavailable: What are your options for learning the art of unarmed self-defense?
>>
No. 552954 ID: fd6ae9

Okay. Several weeks. That buys us time to do a few things.

There should be at least one visit to the temple, maybe two. It's important to keep something of your mother in your life, you enjoyed your time there, and now that we're not worried about your father finding you, and that you're known to the Entropies at least, we don't have to be so worried about what it means that mother McCormick sees you for what you are. She might also be someone useful to talk to, if you need to.

Visiting another shrine family is a good idea. We should broaden our horizons, and see what different people have to offer. Even if you don't end up working closely with all the families, it would be nice to at least have an idea what's out there.

The weapons training seems tricky, simply since you have several options. Obviously, you'll need further instruction and peers to train against to continue to grow. And making any inroads that would help towards eventually getting armed would be nice. One obvious criteria would be someone who didn't demand you stick solely their style, that they'd be willing and able to help you build on what you already know. ...there's also, potentially, the option of working with more than one group and combining what you learn, although that might require devoting all your time to working on your blade. Which I don't think you should do.
>>
No. 554267 ID: 6bc048
File 138838498845.png - (54.53KB , 400x225 , meanings.png )
554267

Sounds like a plan. I'll visit Mom's temple Sunday, and a week from then. I'll visit the mediation class on both Saturdays, and work through the other shrine families this week.
My whole desk smells like evil. It's starting to fade, but I get hungry whenever I walk by it, and I have these dreams about doing moms job or being Batman and then eating the Penguin.
But anyway I hear the Vasili put up little celebrations of each day of the week's element/planet. So that would be the Moon today, but maybe I should visit them on a different day? Mars might be interesting. Or Sunday to see a different take on mom. I heard something about a goddess of underware? Or jokes? I should maybe ask about that.
Hmm. So should I visit the Hiyashi Glass shop, the Wannabe candy shop, or the Maple Hill Shrine? (I could visit the Titov shrine, I maybe should to get ways to safely contain the letter and jacket, but well everyone I talk to says to be careful about them. )
>>
No. 554286 ID: 379075

We can't be careful around the Titov organization without knowing what to be careful of really, so we need to find better information before we visit them.

Unless the candy shop is particularly, spectacularly, successful it's probably not a great place to get a job unless you absolutely need the employee discount. Visiting just to get candy sounds like a great way to empty out our purse, and I'm not sure we can afford that yet. It's still a shrine though, so I guess we should visit when they're not so busy.
I'm pondering the folks at the glass shop; perhaps they could use help and we could gain an employment upgrade from them.

I'm interested in visiting these Vasily, since we're likely overdue to establish our own direct relationship to nature. Visiting first on a day we aren't prominent seems like it would be the politic thing to do, although doing so for a sun festival later also belongs on the to-do list.
>>
No. 554324 ID: 0f1482

Hmm. I almost wish we'd had a proper way to dispose of the letter rather than having to contain it. (Problem is, we don't know what's safe. If we burned it or buried it or threw it in the lake, we run the risk of contaminating the air, or soil, or water, and exposing people to the effects anyways). But if the effects are already fading, we may not have to worry about destroying or containing it for long.

...why would we need a way to safely contain the jacket? Have you noticed anything about it? I thought it's power was in the statement of identity. Of who you are, and who is (purportedly) protecting you.

>>554286
I would agree with most of this. It's hard to be properly cautious in ignorance, and checking out the Vasili and the glass shop seem interesting.
>>
No. 554327 ID: 10b54e

Well, if you're willing to try it, you could simply consume the letter. It's not like eating all those evildoer lollipops actually made you evil. But it's not like you know the effects eating the letters would have.

Let's visit the glass shop, and the Vasil shrine can be visited on Mars.
>>
No. 554328 ID: 0f1482

>>554327
...I would be reluctant to try consuming the letter. We might be fine, but we really don't understand enough of what effect that might have.
>>
No. 554451 ID: 379075

>>554327
>>554328
Entropy Jr. seemed to be under the impression that just by touching the blood of the letter our personality could be permanently altered. At a minimum eating would include touching it with our gastrointestinal system; so let's not do that.
>>
No. 554480 ID: f21647

Err I think he was more worried about someone else, like Ashley or Lady Bentenmaru touching it then if I touched it.
>>
No. 554543 ID: 379075

>>554480
Well okay then, but considering how strong an impulse you had to lick that blood I'm more than a little bit wary: You didn't think to yourself, "Licking this letter seems like a good idea, maybe I should do that," this gave you a compulsion. I'm alarmed by this, and I don't know what the risks are of consuming that blood either: This is the sort of fluid transmission that spreads disease amongst mortals, to name just one possible worry.
>>
No. 554556 ID: e897cc

True. It worries me too. Then again not all compulsions are bad. I mean when I was little and felt really hungry I would feel compelled to nurse from mother, or if I was scared I would look for nursy. Maybe the blood hit me so strongly because I haven't had any evil doer ina long time?
Or maybe I am just making excuses because I still kind of want to eat the blood?
Over all I think I agree with you.
>>
No. 554574 ID: 379075

If it turns out that it is just a nice light snack for an Imperator with an Excrusian heritage like yourself then maybe it'll still be good then.
In contrast, unknown risks are hard to judge appropriately: All I've got to go on here is scraps of possibly inapplicable medical knowledge and the fact that your mother really didn't like you eating those evildoer sweets. I don't know why she didn't like it, or why your father gave them to you despite her not liking it.
>>
No. 554754 ID: 908033
File 138869002364.jpg - (16.66KB , 220x195 , LR253-Free-Shipping-Hanging-Colorful-Pendant-Handb.jpg )
554754

>...why would we need a way to safely contain the jacket? Have you noticed anything about it? I thought it's power was in the statement of identity. Of who you are, and who is (purportedly) protecting you.
Well, apparently the woman buried under the shrine is maybe wearing something sort of similar? And symbols are powerful. Like for example, flowers are powerful enough symbols of heaven's magic that even humans can call on their powers. So while I don't think it's doing anything, I am not entirely certain of that. On the other hand I am more worried about the Titovs then I am the jacket. They sound really creepy.

The Hitachi are close enough I can probably get back here to help out at lunch. Which is nice.

------

Hmm. That was kind of ... frustrating actually. I went to talk to the Hiyashi Glass House and they were happy to show me around, and complain about the storms breaking some of their works, but they kept using words I only sort of understood, about glass making and outside dust, and magical elements, the same ones the Vasili celebrate on the days of the week. One older teen or (maybe young adult?) was really really excited about a piece that was almost ready, apparently it's his Masterwork using something or other and something else to make a mirror that can show the reflected scene in different lights. If it passes muster then he'll be able to support a family and maybe get out of his parents hair. . And hopefully propose to his boyfriend, who's a painter you see, hence the mirror.
That was way more interesting then the details of how they made the glass, and afterward I felt the bottom of my left ear sort of melt into a crystal earring that I can make glow in sorts of pretty colors. So actually that part was awesome. It's just I had to spend all morning listening to him talk about magic glass and different ways the colors work and such, which even then probably would have been interesting if I could understand it.

There was a lot of beautiful pieces, basically all of them way out of what I think my budget would be, and yeah asking what someone not part could do and get paid I would have to work like a week just to pay for one of the smaller pieces. Well the very smallest/simplest pieces are actually fairly cheap (like about what the ferry ride cost), and aren't _ugly_, but compared to the _good_ pieces. . .
There's one piece that makes me feel odd, but in a good way. It's apparently supposed to help people get in touch with their animal natures, or something? He seemed almost embarrassed to talk about it. (It's the one in the picture)
>>
No. 554761 ID: 1e9bd6

>jacket might be doing something
>kind of more afraid of people who might be able to contain it
...I'd agree with your sentiments there. People who can actually contain powers that are close to you are scarier than those powers themselves, especially if we aren't sure if there's a problem in the first place.

Although I suppose if the Titovs' can do anything about your father's kind of thing, that might be useful, someday?

It might be nice if we had some other way to verify the coat is doing anything, first. Or if we had a way to safely learn more about the Titovs before thinking about approaching.

>glass shop
Huh. Interesting stuff, but I'm not sure how to make use of any of it. It might be interesting finding out what getting in touch with a inner or animal nature would mean for you, but it would be a big investment to try and acquire one the good piece that appealed to you.
>>
No. 554802 ID: 379075

Uh, animal nature can be very scary. A person's animal nature is all the stuff about them that isn't conscious thought generally; their hunger, tiredness, thirst, anger, fear, contentment, and... other things. It would be a mistake to be unaware of your own but it's not so great to surrender to it. Since this is a magical world they may mean something more than that as well, but that's even scarier I'd think.

If you want to better understand what the heck those Hiyashi people are talking about when they start rambling on about their glasswares I can probably help. We could do a physics lesson about refractive indices, speed of light in different media, and all the other basic optics study questions. This stuff *is* generally easier to learn in a well-stocked classroom with prisms, lenses and the other associated equipment like that if one is available somewhere, but the theory just needs paper, a pencil, a ruler, time, patience and study. It is more fun if you learn about it with physical experiments at the same time though.
A related question is: How's your math skills Jasper? If you can handle basic trigonometry you should be fine for this high-school level physics, you don't even need any calculus as I remember it. If your math is up to the point that you can handle exponents and radicals I could start by teaching you basic trig quickly instead, but that might be more than one lesson.
>>
No. 555002 ID: 4b8435
File 138881464560.jpg - (70.21KB , 540x350 , fq20110311a1a.jpg )
555002

Okay, I'm at the Vasili temple/shrine.
(Sometimes people call it a ναός sometimes they call it a 神社
(jinja) they both mean home for a God. ) Well the shrine complex anyway. There's lots of little houses, and a sickly looking garden in back.
A group of people are gathered in front of a little stage where a teenager and a child (a bit smaller then me, so maybe like 6?) have stood up. And seem to be setting up equipment.
Huh. That was pretty interesting. It was mostly a very stylized play that had humans steal fire from the "88-headed-sky-earth-sepent (Ororochi-Tiamat)" while her children ate her/buried her "under the feet of the Mountain", And a "steam automaton" fought a "vampire king", which somehow lead to the older girl saying "don't play with matches, and be careful with candles and sparklers" and the younger reminding people to not waste hot water.
Which I guess are good ideas.
People seem to be coming up and asking for charms and advice and donating money.
Um, should I talk to the girls? Or find another Vasili?
And uh. . What should I ask?
>>
No. 555118 ID: 1e9bd6

Hmm. So they put on a play based on their myths and stories every day? And they work parables and morals in. That's sort of nice, and a fun kind of ritual. (...and makes me more curious about what they do on the day of the sun. We'll have to check, eventually).

Sure, you can talk to the girls. Maybe uh, tell them you enjoyed their play? People usually like to talk about things they do, or with people who show an interest, and it seems a decent way into understanding a bit of what they're about.

>>554802
Honestly, basic physics is way easier with calculus. You can derive half the equations from each other with simple derivatives. It always seemed to me that kids in the classes / courses where they try to do everything with arithmetic were getting the short end of it, because they couldn't see as easily how things relate, and it's such a song and dance trying to go around the big bad math they're not supposed to know.

A lot of fundamental concepts can be explained without any math at all, though.
>>
No. 555154 ID: 379075

I'm not sure how to handle this, I was hoping to find a priest that wasn't busy and to ask what it is the Vasili do and what powers they connect to. Play it by ear and go looking around maybe?

>>555118
You're right of course, but we don't know if she's at the memorizing of multiplication tables level versus the level of understanding issues like Bayesian versus Frequentist. I was thinking that if she doesn't know trig then teaching the unit circle is a single lesson. Calculus is a little bit more involved, and not quite so important if we're just handling optics.
>>
No. 558270 ID: 052655
File 139008298353.jpg - (7.92KB , 199x254 , steam2.jpg )
558270

I run up and wait after the gentleman talking, mostly to the younger girl. He’s differently dressed than most of the people around here. (see picture)

I can’t understand what they are talking about, they are being loud enough they clearly aren’t interested in privacy, but the talk seems to revolve around the way steam pressure changes with heat? Maybe?

The older girl hands the man a charm, and then excuses herself and walks towards me. “Hi I am Francis Apollonia Vasili, Promised to the Will of Fire. Do you have a question?”

“Um...I enjoyed they play?” I say blushing..this is hard. “I um..wonder what uh..you all do here?”

“I’m glad. Ayako and I put in a lot of hard work. I hope it reminds you to treat fire with respect.” she says a harshness coming over features, or rather being revealed. It reminds me of mother just a little, but then she hides it again under the affable politeness people tend to in Fortitude. “As to what we do here..Well, we spend most of our time cultivating our connections to our elements, for the benefit of Fortitude as a whole. For example, I try to keep Fire strong but friendly, reminding it that us humans have earned its respect, Ayako makes sure that steam and electricity have proper pathways to flow through town, and Grandfather tends his garden and so pulls sickness and blight from the gardens of Town. There are more than a dozen Promised and each of us has a different duty to Town.

“Do you want any charms? Or need advice on something?” she continues.

(Uh..do we?)
>>
No. 558281 ID: 4a75fa

>respect for fire
Well, for the daughter of the sun, your thing is probably more light than fire, but your big form is all fire and plasma, isn't it? We respect what kind of power that is, or the damage it could do.

>need any advice, or charms?
Well, there are things we could use advice on, but it would take a lot of explaining, and I'm not sure she'd be in the position to answer, either. Your problems are kind of complicated.

Uh, if she works with the people who use fire in the town, maybe we could ask her what she thinks about the weapon makers? We could narrow down that kind of large field of possibilities if she knows any of them don't treat their work or main tool with the respect they should.

What do the charms do? (Are you drawn to any of them- the way you were with the glass? It's hard to know what in advance might be useful, or call to you).
>>
No. 558305 ID: 379075

We came to visit today particularly because we're interested in getting better acquainted with all the shrine families and what they do, and paying our respects to the various powers.

If they're offering advice, we're still new in town and we're trying to make decisions about schooling and professions. We're interested in general advice or information about particular opportunities or hazards we should know of, in town. The reason the advice here might be particularly helpful is that we have affinities with light, fire, the sun, and possibly electricity as well that we know about, as well as training in fencing.
>>
No. 558875 ID: 2a1874
File 139034193032.jpg - (1.38KB , 116x113 , images-6.jpg )
558875

"Umm..well I was wondering if you would recommend any sword-smiths?" I ask.

The priestess seems taken aback for a second, but then puts her hand to her chin and thinks. "People usually buy imported swords, from Miyagi's or the like. You should take anything you buy by the Titovs though, three quarters of that stuff has some sort of curse. Ojacarcu in north horizon does good repair work, but she also charges what she's worth."
>>
No. 558976 ID: 379075

"Lots of people have given me vague warnings about the Titov folks, can you tell me what that's all about and what the useful precautions are, if any?"

I suspect we don't have to worry too much about basic knowledge of what we are and our circumstances from getting out anymore; we're officially sanctioned to remain in town by the protectors. Being a little cagey about that stuff with people who might try to exploit us is a sound precaution, but asking about educational and business opportunities available to us should be fine.
>>
No. 559049 ID: 4a75fa

>taken aback for a second
I don't quite look the type, do I?

>>558976
Also- I think that makes you the first person I've met who's recommended the Titov.

Potentially that makes her a good source of information. If she's willing to work with them, or send people to them, that may mean she understands what the risks are, or how to cope with them. Or at the very least, she has a perspective not based on non-specific fear and uneasiness.
>>
No. 559213 ID: c49db5
File 139054026323.jpg - (2.08KB , 111x142 , images-7.jpg )
559213

You are a voice I don't think you much look like anything, though you are part of me so maybe you just look like me? Huh.

Anyway I ask about the Titovs, and she replies.

"Hmm. They really aren't as bad as people say, now that they are getting enough Outside dust. Most of the time they are people just like you or me. Without it their .. soul fogs over, they turn cold and spiteful, a touch paranoid. When they don't get their dust they don't really understand people or the softer emotions, just need, and that's the part of them their magic uses. It treats the whole world a just tools to get what they need, and it will give it too them even if it breaks your heart, or their heart for that matter. So if you have something they need, make clear in your heart your price, and don't make it too high, and their magic won't hurt you, and might just get you what you need."
>>
No. 559219 ID: 4a75fa

>I don't think you much look like anything, though you are part of me so maybe you just look like me? Huh.
*Pff- laughing* Yes, that is rather silly. I meant you don't look the type to come asking after swords. Sorry, I was vague in my distinction between us and you, there.

>Titovs
Thank her.

Hmm. "Outside dust" sounds like they've tapped into your father's kind of thing- but it sounds like they've turned it to a different purpose, or they at least run a different philosophy.

That connection means you'll probably have to approach them eventually (any understanding of the outside, even from a different perspective, might be important). At least now we sort of understand how. I don't see a pressing reason to risk it soon, though. Unless we become more concerned about the risk the letter poses.

I'm not sure about showing them the coat at all, though. If they use outside dust and it's an artifact of the outside, their response to that could be... unpredictable. Possibly very negative, or very positive (which may also have drawbacks, given their reputation).

...where do they get the outside dust? Is there a wind from the outside that brings it in? Is there an outside fire that makes it? (The source might be worth checking out, someday).
>>
No. 559274 ID: 379075

The 'outside' seems to be an expression of nonexistence or oblivion, so I'm not surprised that this would have something to do with a boundless appetite in particular magic/rituals. Even if this description is accurate it's still inadequate information; we don't know what their 'need' is or how they measure value. We should get additional details and confirmation from other sources before dealing with them: Knowing that their magic is particularly dangerous and causes long term chronic-disability/addiction in its practitioners doesn't make me any *less* cautious about them.

Unless we can get useful career advice here or details about what it would mean to visit for the sun-related service I'm thinking we may have run out of questions we're comfortable with asking. Now that we're officially under the protection of Entropy and our probable worst enemy (our younger sister) already knows where we are this has dramatically changed the situation about how secretive we must be however. We should consider being a little less cautious about revealing who our mother was: If the priestess knew how much different our parentage was from normal she might have particular advice for us, especially regarding our attendance for the sun rituals.
>>
No. 559543 ID: d80d08

Lady Bentenmaru spoke about the Outside. She said it was the remnants of all the worlds that used to exist outside of town, both real and imaginary, and when I talked about my dream said the storms were bringing in more OutsIde dust and that was making people have weird dreams. So maybe not non-existence so much as nonsense and pseudo-existence?
>>
No. 559569 ID: 4a75fa

>>559543
Oh. So their magic is more based in reality (or at least, stuff that used to make up a good hunk of reality), than your father's stuff. His only connection would be inadvertently supplying them with their supply.
>>
No. 559618 ID: 379075

>>559569
Uh, their magic is apparently based on need. Your guess is as good as mine whether that's about emotional/conceptual/imaginary needs or something else entirely, but I would hesitate to characterize their magic as being based either in reality or not on that alone.

Note: Possible re-characterizations of 'outside' to consider: Potential, nonspecific.

Apparently no other voice has an opinion on my hypothesis that we may be free to identify ourself openly. Perhaps you'll have to make that judgment call directly then Jasper?
>>
No. 559623 ID: 4a75fa

>>559618
No, I meant- we know the dust is made out of destroyed reality. Remnants of worlds. They're drawing power from something that used to be part of the world, not from the external forces that oppose the continued existence of the universe. It's 'reality based' in that it's using stuff that made up reality.

>Apparently no other voice has an opinion on my hypothesis that we may be free to identify ourself openly
In specific circumstances, yes, it might be advantageous to deal with certain people with our identity known. I'd say in general though, declaring ourself openly as the forbidden secret god-child of two beings who ended up accidentally causing the destruction / reorganization of the universe is a Bad Idea. There's just... too many potential complications.

I certainly don't see that it would help any to identify ourself here.
>>
No. 559629 ID: 9e206c
File 139078518005.png - (8.81KB , 128x128 , reply.png )
559629

I..I think I want to tell Ashley and Lady Bentenmaru first. Just seems..polite and prudent.

I bow to the miko and thank her for her time, and head home to help with lunch. Lady Bentenmaru isn't there but Ashley is, of course.

Lunch goes much as it always does, friendly chatting about the morning, and plans for the afternoon. Two of the kids a little older then I look get in a bit of fight over something..but it doesn't last long.

and hmm. Okay. Time to tell her.

This is harder then it sounds.

[1/2]
>>
No. 559632 ID: 6bc048
File 139078788916.jpg - (194.67KB , 1280x800 , heaven.jpg )
559632

> There's just... too many potential complications.

I still think I should tell Ashley. She should know what she has invited into her home.
>>
No. 559633 ID: 4a75fa

>>559632
>consequences
I mostly meant with regards to being yourself in town, well, openly. It might inspire fear, or anger, or hate, or obsession, or people trying to use you, or just a whole lot of attention, or any number of things we don't really want.

It's somewhat different telling people you trust, or who you think have a right to know. There will still be consequences, but they'll be more personal. And there would be consequences for continuing to keep secrets from the people closest to you as well.

If you feel it's right to tell Ashley, and you want to trust her, then do so.
>>
No. 559742 ID: 908033
File 139085733475.jpg - (12.25KB , 225x225 , laundry.jpg )
559742

I gather my courage and ask "Granny Ashley, can, I talk, in private, with you?" I say tugging at her skirts.

She blinks then nods and smiles. "Can it wait until the dishes are finished? Then we can talk in the laundry room."

"Yes. That shall work." I determinedly reply, stepping in to help dry dishes. It's the only job where being short doesn't make things difficult.

It feels good to be part of the household, everyone rushing around us to help get things clean and ready to start cooking dinner.

Pretty soon the cleaning part is finished and Ashley is picking up a huge bin of dirty clothes.

She walks over to the laundry room in the basement. Or well, to the door to the stairs to the basement. . You know what I mean!

Once in the room she and I starts sorting out colors and whites, content to let the rhythm of honest work calm me down.

"So, you wanted to say something?" She asks.

I fidget for a bit, but then it feels like mother is watching and I can't do anything but what is right. Even if it hurts. Justice starts with the self.

"I've lied to you and Lady Bentenmaru and everyone. I didn't forget who I was. I just was scared. I .. my father. ." It all comes rushing back. How .. "scary" is too small a word, how nothing made sense, and the blood.

Ashley is hugging me, whispering that I'm safe here. She'll make sure of it. Fortitude will make sure I'm safe.

I hug her back, but I can't look her in the eyes. "I .. I need to finish. I .. I am Jasper Irinka, daughter of Jade Irinka, Angel of the Sun, and .. and of the Lord of Death's Domain, who murdered her." I can feel my eyes flip over to silver, and blood run cold. "Thank you. I needed to tell someone."

"Oh. Child, no one should have to shoulder such a burden." She looks me in the eyes, and I see that she loves me. She might not have even known my real name, but she chose to love the stranger on her doorstep anyway. "So how should I address you? I've never met a Goddess before. Do you need a temple or anything? One of those little houses they have in the Shinto shrines? Or a prayer wheel?"

"Just 'Jasper' or 'Ginger' is fine. They always called me 'Your Highness, heir of the Houses of the Sun.' but I like just Jasper better. And no I don't think I'm that sort of God. Maybe? Just sunlight seems to be enough."

"Okay then. That's what the doctor said when you were sleeping. About sunlight I mean. We didn't know we had royalty in the house. Can you help me put the colors in the washer?" She replies. I sort of thought she would be more upset, or worried, but this is nice. This can be my home.

(Connection: Ashley's House 1)
>>
No. 559761 ID: 88960e

Well, that went well. Very down to earth our Ashley is. And you have a home, now.

Good to know there are people you can trust with your identity. I still wouldn't tell everyone you meet. Not that you need to lie, just not bring it up.
>>
No. 559762 ID: 379075

"So, Lord Entropy knows and I'm apparently welcome to stay in 'his' town, but before I came here my days were mostly spent in my mom's house. I was home-tutored with a focus in fencing. This hasn't left me very prepared for figuring out what I should do here in Fortitude.
"Besides that though, I got a letter from my younger sister, who I maybe never met before, that seems threatening. I think I need to learn how to defend myself against whatever it is she's planning, but besides trying to get a new sword to practice with I'm not really sure what to do about that."
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No. 559767 ID: 379075

>>559761
We shouldn't tell everyone we meet who we are and what our parentage is, but we undeniably have a supernatural nature that comes from that. That seems relevant to the question of why we would want to talk to the various shrine families. I don't know how to get around that besides (maybe) demonstrating our supernatural nature for them without offering any information on why we're like this. I mean, as far as that fire priestess we were talking to knows we're just like all the other little girls around town except with a slightly weird upbringing, so if she did have something useful to tell us specifically she wouldn't have known to.
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No. 559809 ID: 4a75fa

Now that that's out in the open, one concern might be how much she feeds you now. I mean, you like it, but you don't really seem to need their food. And it while it's fine to enjoy yourself, or participate in the ritual of the family meal, obviously you don't want to tax resources or cut down on anyone else's share if and when things are tight.

>>559767
I kind of think "weird, and maybe supernatural in some way" describes a lot of things and/or people in this place. I mean, this is sort of where everyone from all over reality who survived the restructuring ended up.

So long as we're not doing anything particularly flashy, or giving someone particular reason to question our nature, I think we can get away just being vaguely not-normal with most people.

The other side of that coin is who we feel we want to let in on the full weight of who we are. We'll probably talk with Mother McCormic at some point (since she likely already made us). As for Francis, or the Vasili in general, I'm not sure we had good reason to out ourself, yet. Maybe if we get closer to them in the future. Or depending on what we see if and when we check out their Sunday stuff.
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No. 559918 ID: 379075

>>559809
>Now that that's out in the open, one concern might be how much she feeds you now.

Perhaps we could use some pointers in not attracting more attention than we like: How to handle biological processes in a way that makes us seem no different than a mortal girl could be very useful.

>Or depending on what we see if and when we check out their Sunday stuff.

That may depend on what *they* see when they're doing their Sunday stuff. Apparently we have a star shape, and when we meditate light is affected. Who knows if or how their rituals may affect Jasper Irinka, the heir of the Houses of the Sun, if she happened to be nearby? S'why I'd be a touch curious about what sort of relationship the Vasili have with the sun and all.

I'd generally agree that we shouldn't bring up the specifics of our honorifics and parentage unless it's necessary though: That's personal to anyone that doesn't have specific knowledge or involvement in that.
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No. 559966 ID: 4a75fa

>not attracting more attention via biological processes
Well yes, there is that. I just meant if it comes to it, we shouldn't put keeping up appearances above depriving someone else who needs it of food. (If the house has more than enough for everybody, it's not something she needs to worry about).
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No. 560197 ID: 6e6077
File 139113223335.jpg - (4.40KB , 275x184 , emploment.jpg )
560197

> Good to know there are people you can trust with your identity. I still wouldn't tell everyone you meet. Not that you need to lie, just not bring it up.

That makes sense.

"So, Lord Entropy knows and I'm apparently welcome to stay in 'his' town, but before I came here my days were mostly spent in my mom's house. I was home-tutored with a focus in fencing. This hasn't left me very prepared for figuring out what I should do here in Fortitude." I relay your words, to exhausted to make them sound like my usual self. She frowns when I call it "'his' town".

"While its good to see you think about your future, you don't have to settle on a career for at least a few years. There's money for orphans or newcomers that need it, (it does come with strings, though.) and getting a basic education is going to take up a lot of your time. Still they can always use more hard workers at the docks, or most of the shrines. Well the Susonov aren't hiring many people, because they spent a lot on dealing with some sort of dream catastrophe, but the candy shop just reopened and is needing lots of help."

I nod, only sort of understanding.

"My younger sister sent me a threatening letter, but I don't. I don't have any ideas what to do about that besides get a sword to practice with."

"While..given what you've gone through I can't say learning some self defense would be a bad idea. I think talking to the Titovs and the Kichi might be your best bet. Or possibly finding the right Deviant Genius in Horizon. Oh..the rats I should of thought of them earlier, your probably a bit large to fence with them, but getting sword fighting tips from them, and they would know which human fighters actually know what they are talking about."
Here she pauses before continuing. "Still..I think talking to Titovs and the Kichi, maybe the Susonove is your best bet."
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No. 560220 ID: 4a75fa

Thank her. It's kind of a relief to be able to discuss this kind of thing with someone else.

>the rats
Huh, that's an interesting idea. They might not be the best suited to training you, or helping with your style of fighting, but they might be able to help you vet your other choices (who's good, or who might work well with you).

>Titovs
Another reason they might be useful, but I get the feeling we need to understand them a little better, and know for sure what we want for them before we approach (especially after Francis' explanation).

>Kichi
What do we know about them, again? (They're a shrine family with pools, and paper walls?). You might want to ask, if you're unfamiliar.

>Susonove
Well, we've already got something started there, at least. You've been learning their meditative techniques. Not sure if dreamworld stuff will help you or not long term, though. Hard to predict how that would play out.
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No. 560370 ID: 379075

>>560220
Good start.

Being on good terms with the rats is likely to be beneficial even if we don't go adventuring with them much: I previously suggested trying to learn their perspective for other reasons as well. We should add to the to-do list meeting them in the semi-near future.

We should look up the details of this school Entropy is running and the student allowance: I'm not so sure we need to be afraid of going to Horizon since if worst comes to worst we can turn into something hotter than fire that immolates things without even touching them. If we can get this student allowance on top of attending there for free that could pay for a sword and other necessities perhaps.

As far as training with the Susonove school goes, I don't have particularly many reservations about that. All our life is dominated by vision and imagination ultimately--we voices would not exist without Jasper's intention to create us particularly. Command of and understanding of such things is useful to us, for many reasons.
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No. 560977 ID: c14716
File 139161810524.jpg - (3.69KB , 150x150 , images-9.jpg )
560977

Okay. I can talk to the Kichi tomorrow morning, and then find some rats to talk to that evening?
Then the next day I can talk to the Susonov, and maybe spend a little extra time on my exercises.
And then I can either talk to the Titovs, the Watanabe, check out School and the fencing clubs in Horizon, or the weapon stores in Arcadia.
Sound like a plan?
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No. 560989 ID: 4a75fa

Sounds like a plan for the next two days. We'll decide where we're going on the third depending on what happens.
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No. 561129 ID: 379075

Depending on the school/class they may insist on particular practice weapons that they provide for safety and predictability purposes. We may luck out and get some time to save up and get a better sword later out of that.
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No. 561896 ID: 908033

Okay so I'm at the Kichi shrine. The buildings hug the hill side closely, blue and cream colored walls almost fading into the shrubs and rocks.
The walls are paper thin, and light and shadows play across them from the inside, a pounding thump giving rhythm to a song that dances from voice to voice.
A girl about my age in a simple white robe sees me and starts wringing her hands, before tugging at an man in the same outfit's sleeve. They talk quickly, and as I turn to watch them the girl pulls herself up straight and then tries to relax, trying to imitate the half asleep look of the woman I talked to when I was here before, but her hands are still fidgety.
She walks up to you says "Hi, you're Jasper Irinka and do I want to be your friend?"

Uhh... what?
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No. 561905 ID: 908033

Okay so I'm at the Kichi shrine. The buildings hug the hill side closely, blue and cream colored walls almost fading into the shrubs and rocks.
The walls are paper thin, and light and shadows play across them from the inside, a pounding thump giving rhythm to a song that dances from voice to voice.
A girl about my age in a simple white robe sees me and starts wringing her hands, before tugging at an man in the same outfit's sleeve. They talk quickly, and as I turn to watch them the girl pulls herself up straight and then tries to relax, trying to imitate the half asleep look of the woman I talked to when I was here before, but her hands are still fidgety.
She walks up to you says "Hi, you're Jasper Irinka and do I want to be your friend?"

Uhh... what?
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No. 561914 ID: 88960e

I think the only appropriate reaction to that is confused laughter.

Uh, yes that's me. Who are you?

I'm sorry, is something wrong? Are you alright? (She's became nervous at your approach, consulted someone else, and was apparently instructed to say that. Which is odd. Why would you make her uncomfortable or afraid? What has she heard or been told about you?).

Basically try to get her talking and reassured, acting more naturally. Conversation will be easier from there.
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No. 561955 ID: da36cd
File 139208488783.jpg - (3.84KB , 137x91 , images-20.jpg )
561955

I laugh a little nervously. "Um. Yeah that's my real name. Who are you?"

Her eyes go wide and she flaps her arms as if to say "No, No, No"

"Sorry. I've never done this before. Mom is really good at this. I .. I am Catherine Kichi of the Kichi, and I knew you would come here for I have seen you in the pools. You are so beautiful when you grow up! I couldn't see anything else for 5 minutes! You are even prettier than mom! Um,
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No. 561992 ID: 4a75fa

Ooooh. She's a precog. They can see the future in their pools. That's how she knew you'd be here, and who you are, and why the tense structure in her statement about being a friend was confusing. That's how they knew you had woke up before too.

She's nervous because she's never done this before. She thinks it's important, you were the subject of a long (important vision), and she's worried about messing up.

Calm the poor thing down. She's all nerves. Be kind, offer her some reassurances, take the pressure off. She's doing fine, really. It's nice to know you'll get to grow up, actually. (Although I don't know how much we can lean on prophecy as a safety net).

Did she see anything else about you? Anything you should know? Was grown-up you doing anything in the pool?
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No. 562124 ID: 379075

If you think you have the timing, humour and bravado to pull it off I'm tempted to suggest the following conversational icebreaker:

"You say I'll become stunning then? Good to know, thanks for the heads-up. How about you, are we both heartbreakers from what you can see in your scrying or what?
"Honestly, I'm not even fully sure if I date boys, girls, both, neither, or something else entirely when I get older. It just hasn't been important for me to figure out that stuff yet and if you already know that could maybe save me some teenage angst and confusion.
"I kid though. Apparently you're familiar with me, which is a good sign because I'm a bit worried about how much future I've got ahead of me. Do you know how the rest of this meeting proceeds from here or are the fates still unclear?"

I am exercising my sense of humour here, it seems appropriate to defusing the awkwardness of dealing with someone who has (intentionally or not) been a voyeur watching a you that doesn't exist yet. I have my doubts you can pull off the full routine though, although it would be awesome if you managed. A less ambitious icebreaker would be to skip to the last sentence, or two sentences of my proposed icebreaker.

Once you've broken the ice try asking some questions about their form of divination: What's their take on the shape and fluidity of the future--does it match my assumption of a fractal branch-path with emergent attractors or what? It would be equally interesting to know if they have a take on the past that's similar or different based on their scrying as well.
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No. 562213 ID: 379075

I should amend that if you don't get the jokes in the extended-version of my proposed statement you should definitely skip to the second last or last sentence of it. I can explain a lot of things, but humour usually dies painfully if one has to explain the joke.
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No. 563501 ID: d271ee
File 139282824545.jpg - (57.27KB , 730x600 , 730px-Heron_tricol_01.jpg )
563501

I think I'll skip the jokes. They are kind of funny, but I don't think I could pull them off without blushing and stumbling over them.
"I am glad I have a future for you to see. Maybe. ." I try and add one of your jokes, but just thinking about dates makes me think of mom kissing dad which makes me think about /that/, and I get angry and embarrassed, so I end up saying something completely different. "..you've seen this meeting, how does it go?"
"Umm, well, we talk and I show you the pool I saw you in, and then I try to kiss you, but fall in instead. But I don't know what I tell you. Just that you look relived. Or maybe determined?" She starts to walk on a path carved into the hill side.
"I saw a lot and I..I don't think I'm supposed to tell you all of it yet. You .. you help me a lot." She shivers here, scared of something. "Ms. Senko, you need to know how to be safe from her. Well the good news. She doesn't exist proper yet, and won't until you go to school. Also when she fights you, you almost devour her. But her homework almost breaks your heart."
She pauses here and just walks smiling at the scenery. It is rather pretty, the plants and rocks form a comforting view, while the fog and steam make it seem cozy, tucked in. It reminds me a of home a little.
Should I break the silence? I am a little worried about what she didn't tell me. Also why is she going to try and kiss me if she knows she falls instead?
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No. 563505 ID: 4a75fa

>I am a little worried about what she didn't tell me.
That's the problem with foreknowledge. What you know is going to happen (or what you think is going to happen) can influence your thoughts and actions. Which, in turn, changes what will happen. Or how it happens. Observing the future changes it.

For instance- you now know you get to grow up. On the plus side, that's a psychological relief. A load off, a reason to worry less about dangers. A safety factor that may let you take risks you wouldn't have, otherwise. On the downside, that may lead you to be less cautious, or suffer the consequences of risks you might otherwise have avoided. A little thing, but it will already affect the course of your future.

The real problem is, you don't know in advance which information will help you, and which will just hinder you, or lead to worse outcomes. That's why you need a filter. Someone who only lets through what you need to know, or what helps. If you can trust her, that's pretty important. And so far, I'd be inclined to do so.

Granted, it's not easy, knowing you don't know everything you could.

>Also why is she going to try and kiss me if she knows she falls instead?
I can think of two reasons. (1) Personal / emotional: sometimes it's important to people do things, even if we know they won't work. The gesture or the effort means something to her. (2) Timey-whimey: she's seen it happen, and there might be consequences if it doesn't happen that way. Not-falling is a different future from falling. She doesn't want to change the entire future she's seen just to save herself a little embarrassment.

...I suppose we could always try to cheat. When the time comes, catch her, or kiss her first so she can't fall doing it. But for all we know, you suddenly trying something when she tries to kiss you is what makes her fall. It could be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

>Should I break the silence?
I would ask her a little about how this works. Fundamentally: we don't know if the futures she sees can be changed.

For instance, Senko and the school. She saw that happen, but what if now, because of what she told you, you decide not to go that school. Does that mean the future changes, or will it just find some other way to happen?
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No. 563568 ID: 379075

Don't worry about choking on the lines, in my experience romance is quite daft and if you're lucky it brings more happiness than harm. Without specifics, most advice I could give is probably too vague to be useful.
I would not agree that the future is immutable because of what I know of physics: The future seems to require all possibilities to happen either in potential or reality, and it isn't a potential if it can't happen. Aside from that I agree about the issues of the mutability of the future and the problems with practical divination. We need to understand what a Kichi seer sees, how and why. Let's start by interpreting what she has already said though.

Quoting from your sister's statement: "[...] when I come I will show you that hope is pointless, and dreams are worse than Lies."
This seems to depend on subjectivity. Your sister could be either wrong or right about this, or both, or perhaps even neither. My interpretation is that Catherine is warning you of the danger of not taking your sister's epistemological/emotional challenge seriously: She is the daughter that does not reject her mother's murderer and that sets her up with particular significance to you in terms of resolving your family issues--if they ever do get resolved. I suspect that why you do not remember your sister is because she is a child your mother chose not to have, which would explain why she is neither real nor powerful enough to visit you yet. I think that your sister's threat and Catherine's warning is not stating a certainty though, and we can still prepare. We need more information and serenity however to treat this subject more thoroughly, so let's leave it for later unless you want to risk asking potentially-dangerous questions. For now we need to better understand the dangers of asking Catherine questions.

Similarly, Catherine's statement that she falls in the pool when she attempts to kiss you suggests that she has seen things and is giving you a warning and a choice. She has apparently already formed opinions and feelings about you in the absence of your participation. Without knowing exactly what a kiss means to her however we may be misreading her side of things: I am familiar with kisses being expressions of non-romantic affection and appreciation even between people for whom a kiss is more suggestive of romance. Kisses have also been expressions of other things, and even attacks: One expression for changes to hair-colour and skin colour from exposure to sunlight is, "Sun kissed," like, "Working in the fields each day gradually changed her mousy-brown hair into a brilliant, sun-kissed gold." That seems like it could be relevant, maybe Catherine wants a suntan?

As far as what to say goes, here's an idea for us to chew on:

"If I knew that I would arguably be experiencing my first date right now I might have chosen to wear something different. Live and learn, I'll just have to use knowledge I don't have to react appropriately in future. Probably my dad's school can give me pointers on how that would work, maybe I should file my application?
"Joking aside, you sound unexpectedly certain that you attempt to kiss me by the pool and fall in. I'm tempted to invite you to go for a walk with me somewhere else that is away from here to see just how certain your prediction is against attempts to disrupt it. I think I need to understand at least that much before I'm ready to start working on the question of what you need my help with."
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No. 563772 ID: aef4c1

Hmmm. As a divine being, you can probably defy a prophecy if you put your mind to it.
...Wouldn't that be kinda rude, though? I mean, if she takes pride in her abilities, getting a prophecy wrong might make her feel worse than falling into a pool would.
Rather, let events play out as they would, so she can show off in a harmless way.
Also, let her know that you believe her and will take her advice seriously:
"OK. Should we bring along a towel and some extra clothes for you?"
>>
No. 563805 ID: 379075

>>563772
Well, we don't know exactly where the information in the prophecies is coming from. That's what I was trying to get at with that line of questioning, and not so much any flexing of deity-level influence. Can ordinary people meaningfully defy or counteract the predictions made by Kichi seers?
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No. 563844 ID: 00b2db
File 139309215369.png - (10.95KB , 240x240 , 240px-Supply-and-demand_svg.png )
563844

I think I might just ask?

"Um. So how . . can.." I pause again as she stops and turns looking right at me. She has very intense eyes...her 'whites' are not quite white but a very pale blue. The right colored part is yellow, and the left grey.

"Yes?" she asks smileing gently as if she could spend all day in that exact pose.

"If you see something..will it still happen if you try to stop it?"

"Everyone new always asks that." she says somewhat puzzled. "Its almost never the point of a vision to stop it from happening..or to keep it happening for that matter. It's about the _people_, about giving hope and dealing with what must happen." She turns away, I think she can tell I find her gaze a little disconcerting.

"And they always seem to think they can change based on the vision, but the vision cant change based on them. Which is silly. I'm sorry for staring. ..I ... if my family is angry at you, its my fault, okay? I had to do something kind of selfish. Kind of really selfish, but not..so..here we are."

I blink, this pool? It looks just the same as the last 3 we passed, maybe a little smaller. One end is gently steaming, but this side is cool.

She gestures and the pool turns dark. With in I see a woman dressed in clothing that looks stiff and slightly too small for her. Dark browns and reds dominate. Behind her are chalk drawn graphs, I spy labels of "Supply" and "Reproductive Fitness". And a note underlined three times says 'Hope -> Making things Worse".

"Ms. Senko. Not sure where she got the last name. Your father doesn't use one."

The vision changes to ..you think its you, only your a teenager, and your hair is short, and ..and you notice that you have hair in your armpits. Your on top of somesort of building. Your clothing in burning tatters, and the handle of an umbrella sticking out of your mouth, you gulp and it melts before catching fire.

The boy you met a little while ago, Lord Entropy's son and messenger is just visible over your shoulder, he looks rather grown up and handsome, and the smirk he is giving the viewer goes well with his artificial nose. His hands drip a blood that smells good, but not near as good as his father's blood. (Your not sure how you can smell it in an reflection, other then that once smell the 'visions' are just that, images, nothing else, no sound, or smells.)

"Sorry to just show you stuff from years from now. Its just you need to know what you can put off for a while." the Kichi girl apologizes.
>>
No. 563863 ID: 4a75fa

Well she seems to have gotten over her nerves and found her stride. That's a relief.

>visions not about causality, about people
So it's a matter of trying to help people get through things better, or be prepared when preparedness helps. Which would run completely contrary to your sister's school- it's entirely in service of hope.

...I still sort of think we should experiment to see if we can make anything different when she would fall. Just to see. Worst case she still ends up in the water, we can laugh at our own foolishness, and help her up.

>if my family is angry at you, its my fault, okay? I had to do something kind of selfish.
...how can they be mad about it if they knew you were going to do it? (Almost a joke).

>visions
Oh, I didn't expect her to be able to actually show them to you. ...maybe that's what she did?

>Senko and the Economics of hope
That's an interesting model, actually. And one we can actually debate. Game theory, evolutionary support for empathy, hell, consumer confidence. Even boiled down into completely cold logic there are still rationals against the argument she's making.

As for why she uses a name... too early to speculate. It probably ties into her origin, but we're still very much in the theoretical phase there, and I'd rather not make a guess based on a guess.

At least you know her face. ...who does she look like? Do you see anything of your mother in her, or do you only recognize your father?

>second vision
...I have no idea what to make of that one. Even if we assume that's literal and not metaphorical, we're missing way too much context to understand what's going on.

What were the expressions? Were you in pain, confused, pleasure? Was he wearing a friendly smirk, a cruel one...?

>Sorry to just show you stuff from years from now.
It's okay. You're trying to help.
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No. 563870 ID: 00b2db

Oh, I should clarify. Entropy II was like maybe 3 meters or so behind me.
>>
No. 563871 ID: 00b2db

I looked angry. Like I had been holding back and stopped.
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No. 563899 ID: 379075

>"And they always seem to think they can change based on the vision, but the vision cant change based on them. Which is silly.[...]"

I don't think we need to test the mutability of the future, if I understood this right these predictions are showing possibilities that can alter or dissipate. Otherwise why would she be explaining that the visions can change?

I'm not sure what to make of the visions yet besides that I'm reading a warning in it about who we are right now and the way we're thinking and planning.
If I had to guess why she has a name it's because of the mixture of real and unreal outside, and her desire to be able to affect the real. It's a shortcut to being able to affect the real for her to become more real, and in lots of magical traditions I know of names have power.

"I'd rather not pick fights with people if I don't have to, until I figure out what to do about my father and my sister I may already have more fights than I could ever want to look forward to. That said, it seems unfair for your family to be upset with me for things I haven't done, and also it's surprising that they would be upset with you for being a seer like you were raised to be. What are they really upset about?"
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No. 564245 ID: 6e6077

> At least you know her face. ...who does she look like? Do you see anything of your mother in her, or do you only recognize your father?

I do I think. She's paler then I am, but the shape of her nose and nose is mothers. And given that I grew up in the Sun who knows how much of my darker skin is a tan. Her eyes though are all my fathers, voids with stars falling, and an intense gaze that feels like its seeing though you.

>That's an interesting model, actually. And one we can actually debate. Game theory, evolutionary support for empathy, hell, consumer confidence. Even boiled down into completely cold logic there are still rationals against the argument she's making.

The existence of Hell is an argument for hope?

> ...I still sort of think we should experiment to see if we can make anything different when she would fall. Just to see. Worst case she still ends up in the water, we can laugh at our own foolishness, and help her up.

Yeah I think I might agree.

> "I'd rather not pick fights with people if I don't have to, until I figure out what to do about my father and my sister I may already have more fights than I could ever want to look forward to. That said, it seems unfair for your family to be upset with me for things I haven't done, and also it's surprising that they would be upset with you for being a seer like you were raised to be. What are they really upset about?"

"That is kind of what they are upset about. This.." she pauses, getting a little angry. "this isn't your fault, it's my choice. My need..but I'm going to go blind from your light."

Seeing my surprise..she reaches out and tries to grab my shoulder to kiss me.

I can feel my history streaming out before me, a loop in it growing tight as I try to prevent her from falling. It feels like wrestling with my mother, and I hear a laugh like my own, but deeper, grown up.

I can feel Catherine lips against my own, but they aren't just hers, I'm drinking in something else, something golden and strange, something that breaks the world.

Something like me.

I grab her and don't let her go.

I fall not into the pool but into the rocks and grasses.

The ..force pulls back just as I push, and I slip between histories. I can feel the jagged edges where my memories and self insist on a past that no longer exists.

I come to, lieing over Catherine, both of us panting, with scrapes from the rocks.

She is smileing, but starts to cough up blood.

As she does she signs "Just like I saw. I don't care if the world grows dark..just for that kiss. I feel so alive, the air it burns!"
>>
No. 564249 ID: 379075

>The existence of Hell is an argument for hope?
All hope abandon, ye who enter here
Hell is specifically the place hope is useless. You're not in Hell.

If she's coughing up blood we need to get her medical attention. Is this something like the naked touch of the divine being dangerous to mortals? I'm familiar with that concept from certain mythologies but it's something those gods can control and prevent from causing harm. I mean, they'd have to if they're running around having demi-god children and all.
>>
No. 564257 ID: 4a75fa

>The existence of Hell is an argument for hope?
Hehe. Ah, no. I was using as an exclamation, not an example. As in "Hell, even consumer confidence". It's not often that such dry economics has interesting moral or philosophical implications, but if she's going to argue the economics of hope, then the effect that people's hope has on the market is suddenly very relevant. Sorry, I'll try and avoid being ambiguous like that.

>what happened
Woah. You broke history. Stepped from one timeline to another. Not entirely sure what power you were tapping into through her- was that some kind of recursion? Tapping into an alternate or future self?- You drawing on the you she sees? Certainly more than I expected.

Heh. Heck of a first kiss, wasn't it? The world moved, literally. (Laterally).

So. First lesson. So you can break the rules. But it's dangerous. You made something different, but not necessarily better. You hurt her, throwing her down the stones instead of letting her fall in the pool. (And/or by pulling that power through her?). That's the price you're going to have to pay for the help of this girl who wants to be your friend. You're going to hurt her. She's going to go blind looking at the sun.

...I'm really not sure how to feel about that. On the one hand, she's right. It's her choice, not ours, or her family's. She certainly thinks what she gets out of it is worth it. Who are we to turn her away? (And you could certainly use a friend, and her help). But at the same time- how are you supposed to feel about being her drug?

I guess this is where the determination comes in. To not harm someone who willingly put herself too close to your fire? To make her contribution count? To meet the responsibility this gives you.

>What do
...it changed. You saw yourself fall in the pool, before.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you.

Then let's see about helping her up, and maybe seeing about getting her some medical attention, even if that means braving a family who may blame you for what you're going to do to her (least you can do is see she's taken care of). Unless she just bit her lip or mouth when she fell, coughing up blood isn't trivial.
>>
No. 564300 ID: 379075

>>564257
I might interpret what happened during that kiss differently. I don't think it's the future that changed so much as the present, since the future always changes anyway.

What did happen then? Remember why we have to protect everyone else in our house from touching Entropy's letter? We just touched a mortal with our physical kiss. I think Catherine just stopped being a Kichi seer and became our most devoted follower--possibly a priestess. We should double check this.
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No. 564306 ID: 88960e

>>564300
We changed both. We stepped from a timeline where she fell in the water to one where we fell to the grass. That's why she still says it happened like she saw- in this timeline she saw this happening. There's a slightly different past to match the now different present.
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No. 564329 ID: 379075

>>564306
>That's why she still says it happened like she saw- in this timeline she saw this happening.

Don't count out the possibility that she lied abut seeing us fall in the pool to convince us to try to kiss her. A tricky mistress-manipulator Jasper is not, at least not yet.
>>
No. 564351 ID: 4a75fa

>>564329
Lying is a possibility, but I'd think the
>I slip between histories. I can feel the jagged edges where my memories and self insist on a past that no longer exists
Pretty firmly supports us changing things. Unless Jasper's perception is just wrong.

Still, that's why we should be addressing it. (Saying it changed). Give Catherine the chance to admit to fibbing, if that's what it was.
>>
No. 564405 ID: 379075

>>564351
I'd counter that the experience was unfamiliar. I'm unwilling to accept that yet without secondary confirmation since this seems to be outside of our knowledge and experience.
If we assume our way past uncertainty about whether Jasper's identification of a discontinuity in fate is correct we're still left with a bunch of uncertainties. It does not clear up the details of where predestination comes from, how it works, what it costs us to change it, and what the pros and cons are of doing so in the general case.

I strongly suggest against accepting fate and predestination though, without irrefutable proof. Consider that active fate would mean that we have to figure out who caused the fate for father to shoot mother and bring justice upon them. If it wasn't father then despite wielding the bow he may be another victim! That gets impossibly complex, and possibly asinine as well if the source of predestination didn't understand what they did.
I'm not sure how to apply this insight here.
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No. 564416 ID: 6e6077
File 139342953376.jpg - (3.11KB , 287x175 , images.jpg )
564416

> Don't count out the possibility that she lied abut seeing us fall in the pool to convince us to try to kiss her. A tricky mistress-manipulator Jasper is not, at least not yet.

Its not imposible..but I can feel something try to change my memories/past to make them fit this time line. I don't think its succeding beyond making this annoying static at the edge of my senses, but unless its a fake force-trying-to-make-me-fit, it really did change the past. Which in a sense makes my memories the fake ones. Hmm. Time travel is a little confusing. Dad complained about it some. Mom seemed to think he was making a "High Crime out of a Misdemeanor".

> A tricky mistress-manipulator Jasper is not, at least not yet.

Before they started fighting all the time Dad was trying to convince Mom to let me learn to lie from one of his close friends, 'Aunty Thorn'. Mom didn't trust her to not tell on Mom though, so Dad dropped it.

>If she's coughing up blood we need to get her medical attention. Is this something like the naked touch of the divine being dangerous to mortals? I'm familiar with that concept from certain mythologies but it's something those gods can control and prevent from causing harm. I mean, they'd have to if they're running around having demi-god children and all.

I think it wasn't just kissing me, but that future me had stored up a Wish inside her vision of kissing me and then I was fighting that miracle..and kind of lost control of my ..stomach? that sounds kind of gross..but I think I burn things when I eat them, and I think I sort of inadvertently tried to eat her? Because the miracle was using her as a focus?

Maybe? I haven't done this before..like I said the closest thing this was to was when I wrestled with mom, but..that was very physical. She held me down with gravity and magnetism, not visions and histories.

> Hehe. Ah, no. I was using as an exclamation, not an example.

Ohh! I've heard Lady Bentenmaru use 'Blackhole/asshole' (its one word in language she talks to her self in.) Like that. Though I don't actually know what either of the meanings mean, and she was so embarrassed when I asked that I didn't press.

Mom's ex-wife is in Hell. . . I don't think she really wanted to tell me about that..but she still writes her letters on their anniversary.

> Woah. You broke history. Stepped from one timeline to another. Not entirely sure what power you were tapping into through her- was that some kind of recursion? Tapping into an alternate or future self?- You drawing on the you she sees? Certainly more than I expected.

I think the visions in the first place came from something future me did. I'm not sure if the pools are like a tool for any Imperator to use, or if they are mine..but I think visions are more sent then seen.
>>
No. 564439 ID: 4a75fa

>Mom's ex-wife is in Hell
...now there's a story you'll have to tell us some time.

>I think I sort of inadvertently tried to eat her?
Makes sense. You're exposed to a conduit of power, it's hard not to just gulp in down, draw as much of it into yourself as possible. Learning to control things that are instinctive can be hard.

...which in a sense, potentially makes her as much a drug for you as you seem to be for her.

>what do
I think most of this >>564257 still applies. And there's a lesson to be learned here (powerful, but dangerous for her, which leaves us with a certain conflict and responsibility), you should tell her that things changed / that's not what she saw before (she deserves the chance to either tell you she was lying before, or to understand fully what it is she just got involved with), and you should express your concern / sorry over hurting her, and try to help her.
>>
No. 564494 ID: 379075

Ugh, fate and predestination. On top of it there's conflict with different versions of yourself. If you were older and I were more certain of its effects on your physiology I'd say it's time for some hard liquor: My concept of 'responsibility' has to be shelved and replaced with one more apt to this cosmology now so I'm tempted to work from first-principles on defining what irresponsibility is.
In that vein I could explain what 'Lady' Bentenmaru was talking about, which is something you should understand eventually. It's easily a distracting subject so perhaps we should save it for when Catherine isn't bleeding, shall we?

Aside from the question of helping Catherine recover from whatever it is that just happened I'd say my colleague's suggestions are more likely to be helpful. We didn't know going into that what was going on and I doubt we have a full grasp of the intricacies and subtleties right now either. We need the sort of answers that likely only come from another imperator or someone else who would be strongly familiar with this esoteric subject. The closest person that might know what we mean with the words 'historical discontinuity,' or at least know if we have to ask an Imperator or Excrucian instead of a regular mortal, is Catherine.
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No. 564556 ID: 6e6077
File 139349729835.jpg - (8.54KB , 225x225 , download.jpg )
564556

"Heck of a first kiss, wasn't it? The world moved, literally." I say grinning, a little bit fake but a little bit real.

"Yeah..huh?" She says, as I help her stand up. Her voice sounds weird, as if she's having trouble moving her tongue, and I can see that there's a piece of her lip missing, the wound blackened. "I'd of thought this would hurt more..the pain actually kind of feels good." she signs giving up on talking with her voice.

"...it changed. You saw yourself fall in the pool, before." I say.

"So you can remember how the visions change? I guess you are a god.. Normaly only the most purest mikos and priests can remember old timelines."

It takes a lot longer to git back to the main shrine then you would like, but Catherine is happy to hang off you.

Once you get back, a woman who looks a lot like both Catherine and the woman you went soaking with the first time you visited here (with Lady Bentenmaru) glares at you, and then looks away talking to a man with a stethoscope around his neck. "She has a severe burn on her lip tongue and top of her throat, and coughed up some blood."

The man blinks and rushes forward opening Catherine's mouth and shining a flashlight in. "I need you to try and breath deeply." He commands her.

She tries, but as soon as she does she is racked with coughs that hunks of bloody goo.

However she soon settles down into mearly panting heavily.

The man nods a relived look coming to his face. "Your lungs them selves sound okay. I'm going to give your mother some pills for you to take to dull the pain so you can drink, and maybe even eat, but they are going to make you feel pretty weird. Now taking the first one is going to be hard, do you think you can be brave and swollow it for me?" he says giving her a tiny cup with some water in it.

She glares at him, but nods and swollows the water and a pill he hands her.

Seeing this he stands up and starts talking in low tones with the woman. (who must be Catherine 's mom?)

You hear him almost yell something about 'Young Love!?' and then walk away stiffly.

The woman walks up and drags Catherine away.

> ?
>>
No. 564557 ID: 6e6077

> Ugh, fate and predestination. On top of it there's conflict with different versions of yourself. If you were older and I were more certain of its effects on your physiology I'd say it's time for some hard liquor: My concept of 'responsibility' has to be shelved and replaced with one more apt to this cosmology now so I'm tempted to work from first-principles on defining what irresponsibility is.

How is it different then other persuasive/coercive force?
>>
No. 564568 ID: 4a75fa

Goodbye.

...I think you've done what you can here, today. We've got a lot to think about, and I don't think her mother will be letting Catherine out of her sight for a while.

Or I suppose if we wanted to, you could wait around outside and do your thinking here until one of her family took it upon themselves to confront you? We might be able to diffuse some of the tension between us and them if you made your own misgivings and concerns clear. (The girl worried about hurting her new friend is a lot harder to hate than the stranger using your child). Hard to judge if now is the time or not, though (is it too soon? Better done with cooler heads? Or does waiting just let minds harden against you?).
>>
No. 564625 ID: 379075

>How is it different then other persuasive/coercive force?
What's different about predestination from other forms of persuasion and coercion is that in the concepts of responsibility I'm familiar with predestination is not present. The actor who performs an action is usually the end of the responsibility chain because they made the choice, unless there are specific, limited exceptions involved like insanity, other mental incompetence like chemical impairment of judgment, and imminent threat. (There may be others as well depending on the legal tradition and the specifics of the case.)
In contrast, predestination provides us with a general-case, choice-eliminating coercion which I don't know how to detect for or audit. In the worst case scenario nobody except for Imperators and Excrucians can be guilty since everyone and everything else are all obeying predestination. If the predestination you just broke truly came from a different timeline's future version of you that suggests causality is broken too, making it possible that a proximate-crime like murder was (will be?) committed by someone that isn't guilty yet and perhaps by someone that won't or doesn't exist. Therefore the question of who and what implemented a predestination and the causal chain of that predestination obsoletes the criminal investigation procedures I'm aware of in cases where predestination is active: My typical concepts of criminal responsibility focus on establishing the local, physical facts first and foremost. Predestination may mean those facts never matter depending on how commonly and strongly active it is. I.E. it may be untrue that your father is the murderer of your mother even though he shot the arrow.
Hence, I need to rebuild my understanding of what responsibility is here.

But first we need to talk to this girl's family, although perhaps not her parents. We should admit our ignorance of what was happening until it had already happened and ask for an explanation of what risks and hazards there are like that which we still don't know (enough) about (with regards to predestination and interactions with mortals). Demonstrating an interest in avoiding further harm and implying that the harm already experienced was unintentional should go a long way to easing their anger. Hopefully it would also give you contact with a Kichi seer that is less prone to bending what they say because of a crush....
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No. 564816 ID: e3dd0e

Well, I was able to resist my Miracle, so I don't think it's quite as bad as that at least when dealing with beings like mom and dad. And I.. think given how mom talked about things that this kind of miracle would usually change people and circumstances so the desired thing happens, rather then directly making it happen. So the people involved are still responsible for their actions. Does that make sense? (Though yes, if someone fated Mom to die at Dad's hands. That might explain how she died so quickly. The other options are she was already wounded or exhausted, or they did have an extended battle, just in a way I couldn't see.)
>>
No. 564892 ID: 379075

>And I.. think given how mom talked about things that this kind of miracle would usually change people and circumstances so the desired thing happens, rather then directly making it happen. So the people involved are still responsible for their actions. Does that make sense?

The words, 'the people involved are still responsible for their actions,' are used to excuse those ultimately responsible for many things. Avoiding such recognition of contributory responsibility is a large part of most enduring injustices. Structural violence is a heavy topic though, perhaps we should approach that at a different time, maybe after you know what Lady Bentenmaru meant. Perhaps even after your sister comes to visit.

Responsibility is the power to decide, and if someone else's predestination sets the outcome instead of the direct participants then responsibility rests with them. Responsibility is also proportionate: If you can't decide much you don't have much responsibility. If a murder is fated and a person could be the person responsible at best they are choosing to make someone else a murderer by deciding not to be one themself. In that case it might even be praiseworthy to be the murderer--the willingness and courage to face hardship for others can be a very good thing. Let me clarify what is wrong about that: Fate making people dance on its puppet strings is wrong and that twisted logic comes from the compulsion of fate. At best such fate is a necessary evil.

There is something to be said for making the most out of limited options. If people also have the power of true choice they need to understand it, appreciate it and exercise it appropriately to the best of their ability. Therefore I can see some social utility in telling people to treat all situations like ones in which they can exercise true choice in; most can't tell the difference from the others.
Still, social expedience for the fate-blind is not truth.

The topic of compulsive, active fate calls attention to how much of this world involves things I would consider physics-defying magic and which I know nearly nothing about. While I would still maintain that it's possible according to my limited knowledge and understanding of the situation, I brought up the possibility your father did not willingly murder your mother mostly as a statement of how little we know and how frightening fate is.

We need answers about how this 'fate' stuff works, since apparently it's important. I'd say we should go get some before we cause more harm in ignorance. Who do we trust to tell us the most true and applicable version though? We know that Kichi seers have a version, so eventually we want to know it, but is it the best introduction?
>>
No. 564923 ID: 6e6077

> The words, 'the people involved are still responsible for their actions,' are used to excuse those ultimately responsible for many things

Huh? Oh! No I am not saying those who lay a fate are _not_ responsible. Just that given the ...sideways way Imperial miracles work..If someone was fated to kill someone, the miracle wouldn't _force_ them to do so, it would arrange their lives so they would decide to do so. Maybe make it so they don't time their reconciliations right, or find something that makes the victim look guilty of some other crime? (Or even arrange things so the victim _does_ become guilty of something.)

..I really wish Mom was still here, she's really the only person I trust about this sort of thing.

Lord Entropy probably also knows about this stuff..but I get the sense he wouldn't care about moral issues. Or well only enough to be a extra jerk.
>>
No. 565009 ID: 379075

Sorry, I'm not your mom. I'm not trying to be hard on you but responsibility is a topic I have an informed understanding of, and apparently my understanding conflicts significantly with what your mom told you. I've been summarizing and avoiding expanding concepts and topics all along to try and keep this from becoming a giant wall of ethical philosophy smashing into your face. I guess either you're not ready or I didn't try hard enough.
Lots of people can't handle it very deeply, but I think you need a well-developed understanding of ethics because it's becoming apparent just how much power you may have. For starters, the budgetary worries we've been concerned with may evaporate quickly with a few, relatively minor uses of fate or your other divine faculties and resources: We don't even know yet what all you got from your inheritance. Using that well is very difficult--knowing what is 'right' is already quite complicated as we've seen from our ability to honestly disagree about responsibility. We can shelve it for indefinitely later when it's more important or you're more interested though; for now I can condense it into my advice, as I already have been doing.

If you think we can get an accurate explanation out of Lord Entropy of how fate works along with the costs, risks, conflicts and payoffs involved we could use that. He may also surprise you: Hate does serve social-utilitarian purposes and it's likely he has some theoretical background to what he does. While he is abrasive I would not write him off as a fool yet: Apparently he manages to run a school and a private domain. Conversing with him is probably difficult though, perhaps we should talk to Entropy II first. Either he knows enough or he can help inform and prepare us to get the most out of a meeting with his father. We should prepare to do him a favour though--a good friendship, or whatever Jasper and Entropy II are to each other, goes both ways.
For social, diplomatic and depth-of-understanding reasons I'd like to know what the Kichi seers would say about fate and our divine faculties, plus whoever else would know, but time is limited. Since time is limited, and we are at the Kichi pools already, it may be wise to ask here first.
>>
No. 565011 ID: 4a75fa

>Lord Entropy probably also knows about this stuff
>jerk
There's also the concern that his knowledge comes with a price. He's already made it clear he's interested in your education- in influencing you. We really don't fully comprehend his motives, or what he intends for us, and if those intentions are a problem for our own long term plans. And what our appropriate response should be, yet.

I don't think we're ready for a meeting with him yet, anyways. This isn't pressing enough to seek him out, yet.

>nature of who's responsible in a world both with fate, beings free to make their own decisions, and beings who can defy fate
That is an absurdly complex can of worms we don't need to be dealing with right now. (For instance: In a world with time travel, decisions would have to be, to some extent, deterministic. Or else every time you 'observe' the timeline, the dice on everyone's decisions would be rerolled. And the moral responsibility for fate-weavers or deciders is complex too: if they must make decisions according to global priorities (doing what is necessary to keep the world turning as it were) can you hold them accountable for everything that happens (or needs happen) as a consequence?).

Longer term, yes, if you're committed to seeking justice of some kind, we'll need to clearly understand who was responsible, to what extent, and how, and why. For the moment, we have more demanding concerns.

Immediately: deciding if it would be better to speak with any of the other Kichi now, or later. For the very simple reason of trying to ease tensions and make this easier for ourselves (and Catherine, and them). Our understanding all the metaphysical and philosophical considerations (and how they can advise us there) comes a distant second.
>>
No. 565026 ID: 379075

>>565011
We're the inheritor of The Houses of The Sun, in theory we could will fate to cause genocide, our sister who doesn't exist yet sent us a confusing and threatening letter and is scheduled to show up in a few years to inflict who knows what, our kiss literally burns people up inside and their daughter has been watching us for a long time before we ever met her because of our divine nature. I suspect a lot of their worries are about the metaphysics. I take your point about the need to build bridges with people that are already wary of us though.

"I'm sorry, Catherine mentioned that you were worried about the threats I can pose to her but didn't elaborate on them. I didn't even know I would give her a burn like that when she kissed me. It seems wisest to ask someone else who isn't infatuated with me about these dangers; may I please have the benefit of your wisdom and insight?"
>>
No. 565084 ID: 88960e

>>565026
Okay, yes, there are metaphysics with significant and more immediate applications. The nature of responsibility is one we have more time to figure out.
>>
No. 565183 ID: 128bf4
File 139395571930.jpg - (5.57KB , 150x150 , Storm_clouds-150x150.jpg )
565183

I look around and find the priestess I met earlier.

"I'm sorry, Catherine mentioned that you were worried about the threats I can pose to her but didn't elaborate on them. I didn't even know I would give her a burn like that when she kissed me. It seems wisest to ask someone else who isn't infatuated with me about these dangers; may I please have the benefit of your wisdom and insight?"

"My, my so very polite. Yeah, Catherine is a good girl. Would have been the Heir. But you will need her more then we will. She's infatuated and excitement hungry now, but let her get to know you, and she will temper to a strong mirror." She pauses here, and bites her lip.

"Do try to not devour her, or rather. .consume her the right way. And I don't just mean sex. Though she would be up for more then she is ready for in that direction too, so be careful there too. And no turning into a pine needle and getting her pregnant!" She says waving her finger sternly "You've already stolen our greatest treasure, No need to sneak in!" She then reaches out and gives me a slightly awkward hug. "Your a good kid too. I..I just wish the world was a better place, I can't see what you face, but I can tell it's going to be hard. Give them Hell for me okay."
>>
No. 565185 ID: 4a75fa

>Would have been the Heir
Oh, so it's more than the fact you're a danger to her that will create friction with her family. By committing herself to you, she's denied the role she would have otherwise fulfilled.

>advice
Hug her back. I... thank you. I didn't want to steal or consume anyone.

The predominant thrust of her advice seems to be caution. Catherine's going to want to rush into this, and your own instincts are going to be to do the same thing. Which means you're going to have to work against that- slow things down so that Catherine is tempered by the flame instead of consumed.

Which will be hard, since that will likely mean saying no to her at points when you don't want to.

>sex, pregnancy
Well, this moved quickly. Certainly weren't thinking that when you woke up this morning.

>turn into a pine needle and
...man, being a god just makes things so much more complicated. But yes, pulling any Zeus-like antics anytime soon seems like a terrible idea. Finding your own place in the world is going to be complicated enough without another child to worry about.
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No. 565194 ID: 379075

Okay, hold up time. How much do you know about your divine faculties--do you even know if this priestess (who hasn't given us her name) is right about that pine-needle thing?

We may want to ask her about what it is she thinks she knows about us, stuff like what a Catherine acting as a 'mirror' does, what the common powers of beings like us are, and so on. If so, we could try asking like this:

"I'm not ready to be a mother yet and I'm not entirely sure what you mean about that pine needle. I'm still young, and apparently I lack in common knowledge about what it is I am able to do--I'm lost on what you mean by calling Catherine my mirror and how I would consume her. Would you please explain some of this stuff to me?"
>>
No. 565198 ID: 4a75fa

>>565194
I would say the pine needle was mostly meant in jest (possibly in reference to a more established myth), although the sentiment about not needed to sneak around might have been real (I'd say we're certainly better off being as open as we can with her family. It might be hard at times, but it'll be better long term than if we choose to treat them as adversaries or opponents). Literally, I wouldn't be surprised if we could pull something like that (transformations, even Zeus antics) off in the future if Jasper really wanted to. She's already got at least two different forms, why not more? Assuming shapes or avatars to fit a situation is pretty common with gods in a lot of myths.

The 'mirror' is metaphorical. It describes Catherine's role relative to our own; she would be reflecting Jasper's light. Showing us things about ourself, drawing her own illumination from our power (rather than from whatever source the Kichi normally work from), showing us visions our future self chooses to 'reflect' off of her (Jasper had the impression the visions were sent), etc. It's also part of the metal / fire metaphor the priestess was using too- we have to be careful to temper and forge her into a useful reflective surface and not melt or burn her away to nothing. She was explaining role and risk in a compact form.
>>
No. 565210 ID: 88960e

Oh , and if we were going to ask follow up questions, I'd focus on this
>consume her the right way
There's a right way to consume someone? That makes it sound like something we can't avoid, which I would have thought we'd want to.
>>
No. 565288 ID: 379075

>>565198
As plausible a guess as any, but I would rather be thorough than witty with analysis of the cryptic. Yes, I know this is me who is saying that after making multiple high-intuition guesses about our father, sister and other things. Here we have a rare chance to ask the nice lady we're talking with about what she means and even some follow-up questions. When we have the option of doing better than some scraped-together interim hypothesis I say we splurge, spend a few minutes, or even an hour or two, and ask some questions that our conversational partner could reasonably have answers to.
Your guess about what a mirror is sounds an awful lot like a high-priestess, I must say.

>>565210
>There's a right way to consume someone? That makes it sound like something we can't avoid, which I would have thought we'd want to.
In many kinds of mythology individual deities have particular say in the afterlife of their followers, and even in the form of their life if there's a particularly strong connection. If our colleague is right about their interpretation of a super-condensed lecture that would seem to follow as advice not to turn her into a martyr or eliminate her self-will and individuality too early. Sounds creepy, sounds like she knows something I don't.
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No. 565309 ID: 9e206c
File 139404128096.jpg - (6.64KB , 256x197 , emptyness.jpg )
565309

> Oh, so it's more than the fact you're a danger to her that will create friction with her family. By committing herself to you, she's denied the role she would have otherwise fulfilled.

Yeah. I think I kind of owe them a lot. I'll have to see about what I can do to make it right. Make it Just.

I Hug her back. "I... thank you. I didn't want to steal or consume anyone."

She replies, "I know, and I am serious, you do need her more then we do, and its not like she is going away yet. I'll still get to see my cute niece for quite a while."

I nod.."The pine needle thing was a..a joke right? I .."

I just start blushing here. This is so confusing!

She smiles ruefuly. "Sorry! Yeah it was joke..I mean you might be able to. The Vasili used to tell a story about Crow stealing the sun, and he did it with the pine needle trick. Pretty mean of him actually, but the world was freezing..anyway I don't think it actually happened..but even us shrine maidens don't really understand how myths work. I mean Jade was real..does that mean Amaterasu _wasn't_? Or are they the same person? What about Ra?" she pauses.

And then starts again "And now I am just confusing you. Us grown ups can be silly sometimes."

I nod again. I am nodding a lot today. "So what did you mean by commsuming her right? I don't /want/ to eat her."

She snorts at this. "If you didn't want to eat her, that kiss wouldn't have turned out like it did, and she wouldn't be glaring at my sibling."

She must see my expression or something. "What you don't want is to hurt her, and if you do it right, she might just survive. Even thrive."

She seems to look away from me, and then sort of picks me up while she sits down, so I end up in her lap.

"The Susonov talk about this sometimes. . . clarifying their position from the Riders'." she grabs my left arm with her own until my hand is sitting facing up. "Whose arm is this? Yours right? Whose is it as I move it?" she says waving it around a little. "What if I order you to grab something? What about the lice that live on its skin? The cells flaking off into the air? The germs trying to grow with in it? The food I eat to power it? Your light that powered the plants that became my food? My parents that protected me, and taught me? The pools that make my lively hood? The parishioners who pay us? The fishermen that catch the fish that feed the people that pay us? The ships that brought humans to fortitude in the first place? The rocks that hold us up here, right now?"

"Ownership and identity seem simple at first..but they exist only as ..simplifications. Truth is formless. Or well so they say. I am not really good at philosophy or science. And they say they doesn't work here as well as Earth or Horizon. But you..you are complicated. Even if Fortitude is simple."

"And I don't think I really answered your question." she sighs.
>>
No. 565313 ID: 4a75fa

>I'll have to see about what I can do to make it right. Make it Just.
That's certainly the right attitude to have.

>a story about Crow stealing the sun, and he did it with the pine needle trick
>Jade the same person as Amaterasu?
Well, if that myth is true, and it is about your mother, that just complicates your past even further. And makes me wonder if you were the child of the pine needle union, or your older brother. (And makes your hypothetical use of such a trick feel even stranger).

>What you don't want is to hurt her, and if you do it right, she might just survive. Even thrive.
That's what I wanted to hear. Your choices matter. That there is a right path, even if it'll be difficult to find.

Problem is, we probably need a better understanding of your own nature if we're going to make the right choices. And short of trial and error, we don't have many options for teachers. Your mother's temple, maybe? Or the Entropys, or your father?

>arm, ownership, identity
>I don't think I really answered your question
It sounds sort of like the solution is to choose to make it complicated? Find a way to make Catherine yours that still allows her to be something else at the same time.
>>
No. 565353 ID: 379075

>Your light that powered the plants that became my food?
Aha. The mortals know you are the sun, Jasper. I suspected as much when Entropy said you had inherited your mother's estate but that pretty much clears it. This explains why everywhere the sun shines can serve at a minimum level as your temple, and confirms why I think visiting the Vasili during their ceremony for you could be eye-opening, perhaps not just for you.

The Kichi seer's ideas about consumption seem to be partly about how you are a nuclear inferno that consumes, blasts and incinerates all that gets too close. Further, you could make Catherine too tightly a part of you and burn away--consume--what they know of Catherine Kichi: A deity apparently cannot have an equal relationship to a mortal, much less one with an impressionable mortal child and her relationship to you apparently will alter her more than her relationship with another mortal could (save perhaps potentially her murderer or jailer).

"My senses of pragmatism and sarcasm, which I try not to let speak for me too often, hope you're talking about figurative and metaphysical details of how the relationship between a deity and a mortal is unequal. They hope that but suspect and worry that you mean more than that. This is a bit frustrating because it seems like you're talking about me doing things which I don't understand properly, don't even know about or can't help because I am who I am. I guess if you knew enough to explain about exact details they would be identified threats instead of worries though; I'll just grow my first gray hair worrying about bending and breaking other people unintentionally, mostly just by existing."
>>
No. 565468 ID: 379075

>>565353
On further consideration my previous may sound unduly hostile. The intent was to indirectly complain that we asked for advice about something, mostly didn't get it, and stress that we really need and want that advice, but that's dumb: If we're going to complain about that we should at least be clear.

"I do have an unusual background and particular knowledge perhaps beyond what you'd consider normal, but I'm also a confused and worryingly-ignorant little girl with serious worries and apparently more responsibility than I know about. I don't know how much I don't know, and what I do know is that this consumption hypothetical and this mirror concept that you're talking about are both things I don't know enough about. I'm also still not sure what other worries you have besides apparently me trying to do things that would make me a father--I don't think I'd be willing to make time for that while I'm still worried about my little sister even if I did discover some unknown desire for it."
>>
No. 565805 ID: b3abf2

> "I do have an unusual background and particular knowledge perhaps beyond what you'd consider normal, but I'm also a confused and worryingly-ignorant little girl with serious worries and apparently more responsibility than I know about. I don't know how much I don't know, and what I do know is that this consumption hypothetical and this mirror concept that you're talking about are both things I don't know enough about. I'm also still not sure what other worries you have besides apparently me trying to do things that would make me a father--I don't think I'd be willing to make time for that while I'm still worried about my little sister even if I did discover some unknown desire for it."

Hmm I was going to rewrite this, but I kind of like the formality. Feels like talking to one of mom's Ministers, or when I talked to the Winds.

"I do have an unusual background and particular knowledge perhaps beyond what you'd consider normal, but I'm also a confused and worryingly-ignorant little girl with serious worries and apparently more responsibility than I know about. I don't know how much I don't know, and what I do know is that this consumption hypothetical and this mirror concept that you're talking about are both things I don't know enough about. I'm also still not sure what other worries you have besides apparently me trying to do things that would make me a father--I don't think I'd be willing to make time for that while I'm still worried about my little sister even if I did discover some unknown desire for it."

"Well..I will help you as much as I can, but honestly Catherine is who you need to talk too. She is going to be over eager, but out of all of us she knows her path best."

"All I really want you to try for is to remember that simple honest work, and standing by your family can achieve a lot here. I want you to remember that you are still young and you have time, time to do things right. As far as I understand, what happened to day was because that initial vision she had was full of power, of energy that swam inside her, trying to get to you. She should be fairly safe around you _now_..though..I am pretty sure she doesn't live forever..that she will die for you some day. But then again that is normally what happens for humans. It's ..not really fair, or right, though the Buddhists would argue that immortality makes enlightenment much much more difficult.

She sighs. "Again I ramble. Just remember your really hot inside, and most things cant survive being burned in a nuclear furnace. That Catherine might want to be hurt, might want to be consumed by sex or fire or martyrdom, and to try and make her wait, okay?"

I nod and grab her hand firmly. "I will tr..No I will. Period. She is beautiful, and it isn't Just to use more then you need."
>>
No. 565834 ID: 4a75fa

>you're going to outlive people
Ah, right. They're mortal, you're rather less so. Hopefully not something that's going to be an issue for a while, though.

...and hopefully you age at a similar rate as everyone else around here.

>make her wait
Alright, sounds like that confirms my initial read. The challenge is going to be keeping Catherine from destroying herself. Saying no when you might not want to. Granted, it may be hard to keep your own impulses, and what she wants, at arm's length. But I think you're sufficiently motivated to do it. You've got a strong sense of what's right, and you know more than any child should what it's like to lose someone.

>what do
Thank her again for hearing you out, and her advice. You hope she doesn't attract any of the anger the rest of her family might be feeling about this as a result.

After that, it's probably time to move on. We've done as much as you can here, for now, I think. That morning ended up being far ore complicated than you expected. (Like you said earlier, we'll have to see what we can do to make that right too).
>>
No. 565838 ID: 379075

Well then, we seem to have had this conversation dismissed, unless we're being told that Catherine's involvement in our life comes along with an adopted family. That seems probable, actually: We might want to get to know our newly-adopted family, and become familiar with their strengths, struggles, needs and faces.

I also find it interesting that the Kichi are directly referring to the philosophies of other belief systems when explaining things. This place may be more cosmopolitan than I was expecting.
On the other hand, when was the last time you stretched out and exercised in your true form, Jasper the sun? I see all this mist around here, and if the Kichi family is truly adopting you then perhaps you should offer a sign of acceptance like changing that? Don't risk boiling off the pools though.

>>565834
>...and hopefully you age at a similar rate as everyone else around here.

I dunno, the maturity of deities seems to be a widely varying phenomenon: Some reach physical maturity in a day, and others take a millenium to age a year in human-comparative terms. Little sister being one of the former cases would explain a fair bit without needing to involve the particular features of Excrusians and "outside" actually. Mental note: We should send letters to her and Eclipse sometime.
>>
No. 565855 ID: 4a75fa

>>565838
>stretch out and exercise in your true form
I'm going to hope that mean messing with the sunlight (like we did in meditation) to burn off some mist, or to make rainbows, and not going big. We were just warned about the danger of exposing things to a nuclear furnace, after all.
>>
No. 565885 ID: 379075

>>565855
I was thinking that the proper place for the sun to be the sun would be in the sky. I agree that if that's a no-go it would be bad to make the local pools glow Cherenkov-blue.
>>
No. 566046 ID: 908033
File 139464537488.jpg - (99.22KB , 800x545 , Playing In Color.jpg )
566046

I think I can try to do that. Might take me a little bit.

Jasper looks out at the pools and concentrates. Trying to show her hopes for the future. Trying to show that she wants to work with the Kichi not against them.

Slowly the mist starts to mostly burn off, the white fog replaced with hints of twinkling color. The greens of the plants turn emerald, and the pools and rocks reveal hidden tones and hues as they catch the light.

'There is a reason to hope.' The Vista seems to say.

I think I like it. Simple honest work.

"So how do you like it?" I ask.

The shrine maiden replies "Its nice. Is that what you were doing when you got all quiet?"
>>
No. 566061 ID: a97618

Hehe. I like how unphased by it she is.

>Is that what you were doing when you got all quiet?
*Nod* Yes. That and thinking. Like you said, I get... complicated. (I think that's as oblique a reference to your talking with us, as necessary. I'm not sure how you'd explain that anyways, or how'd you explain what we are, or what extent we're separate or the same as you. Complicated).
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No. 566105 ID: 379075

Oops, I meant offer as in say with words that you would like to do this for them instead of possibly screw up the way their magic works: We don't know if they need it to be misty for the pools to work like they do. The priestess doesn't seem upset by it though so I guess no harm done.

"Now that I think about it I maybe should've asked first but you've been really kind and welcoming. I wanted to do something to return the gesture and sentiments, and it seems a pretty rainbow is something that I can do."

>>566061
>I'm not sure how you'd explain that anyways, or how'd you explain what we are, or what extent we're separate or the same as you.

What's to explain about us? We are a part of her, and her internal conversations with us are just thinking aren't they? Unless we're empowered to act separately that's the only reasonable way to explain it I'd figure. Perhaps it's slightly different than the way some people think about things but Jasper is large. To quote Walt Whitman:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

>>
No. 566121 ID: 379075

Hammering excess and conflicting words out, trying again.

"Now that I think about it I maybe should've asked first but you've been really kind and welcoming. I wanted to do something nice for you, and it seems a pretty rainbow is something I can do."
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No. 566134 ID: a97618

>>566105
Applause on finding exactly the correct poetry for the situation.
>>
No. 566145 ID: 379075

>>566134
http://poetry.about.com/od/poems/l/blwhitmansong.htm
Song of Myself. *bows*
>>
No. 566164 ID: 9e206c

Ohh I kind of like that poem. Feels..like how Earth felt when I visited.
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No. 566183 ID: 9e206c
File 139473300424.gif - (13.41KB , 493x495 , 1094_SSMSplanview02.gif )
566183

>Is that what you were doing when you got all quiet?
*Nod* Yes. That and thinking. Like you said, I get... complicated.

"Now that I think about it I maybe should've asked first but you've been really kind and welcoming. I wanted to do something nice for you, and it seems a pretty rainbow is something I can do."

I didn't really notice at the time, but I think my earring helped me with getting the colors right.

We sit for a little while just enjoying the morning.

Eventually the miko sighs and says "I need to help out with the dust pounding. I'll try to put a good word in for you, but I think you should wait a few days. Let my sis feel like she has exerted her authority over Catherine. She'll be a lot more ..open to you if she feels like she has some control. Can you maybe come for dinner Saturday? You probably won't get to be alone with Catherine for a long while though. At least if she doesn't sneak out. Which she probably will..." She looks off into the middle distance. "I was hoping to have a few more years before I had to deal with Sis dealing with that."

--

So Okay should I keep on with the plan? ...which was what?
>>
No. 566184 ID: a97618

>Can you maybe come for dinner Saturday?
Accept the invitation, and reassure her you'll be careful if Catherine does sneak out.

>I didn't really notice at the time, but I think my earring helped me with getting the colors right.
Interesting. It acts a focus or guide? I wonder if that's for all mystical / godly powers, or if it's more attuned to light and color because it's made of glass.

We'll have to try experimenting with light and other stuff later, see what effect it has.

>So Okay should I keep on with the plan? ...which was what?
As I recall, you were planning to talk with the rats in the evening, possibly with the intent of figuring out which of your several options for weapon training might be a good one.
>>
No. 566235 ID: 379075

How old is Catherine? From upbringing traditions I'm familiar with a child sneaking off to disobey their parents may be a sign of various things. We would need details about her home-life and social conflicts to treat that the best way if when it happens. Unfortunately, asking about such issues can be very sensitive so we can't ask her aunt, whose name we haven't even gotten, yet.

"When Catherine goes sneaking off I can only do things about that with the information I have. She seems to know much more about me than the other way around though, which I find challenging and maybe a bit intimidating.
"Speaking of a bit intimidating, hello stranger that knows so much about me, my name is Jasper. It's good to meet you, and thank you for your morning and your wisdom. If that question about Saturday was an invitation I had already made tentative plans to visit the Susonov shrine for meditation class but I'd like to: When would it be, how would I dress, what would I bring and what should I be prepared for?"

Planning is in flux, we still have half a day apparently but there may be unforeseen complications here. Depending on how formal/elaborate/unusual Saturday dinner might be that may not even be enough time for you to finish preparing for it; do you have any formal-appropriate dress? If it's not a problem then visiting the rats sounds like a great idea I could support even if it weren't already on the agenda.

Mental note: We should consider investing in a day-planner and a journal or diary. The meditative exercise of planning out what to do and recording what happened is good for keeping these things under control, with a bonus feature of helping to find important questions and concerns you would otherwise overlook.
>>
No. 566236 ID: 88960e

>[Catherine] seems to know much more about me than the other way around though, which I find challenging and maybe a bit intimidating
Actually, I think the easiest way to handle that is also the simpliest way to keep things from getting out of hand the first time she inevitably sneaks out. We divert whatever she wad planning to conversation. Make it about talking, getting to know each other, getting her to tell us about herself. She knows a us a lot better than we know her, after all.
>>
No. 566317 ID: eee074

>>566236
We're not there yet, and we won't know why she was sneaking out to see us until she does. Apparently she knows an awful lot about us from visions and/or the traces of fate; without knowing where else that information may have come from I suspect we will end up sending much of it ourself, if not all. Don't discount the possibility we will afterwards give her a more important agenda than what we can imagine now (or at the time) for that meeting. Apparently we tried to do similarly with fate in the deprecated timeline where we attempted to prevent us from kissing Catherine, and are on the hook (at some point) for fating ourself to have kissed the day we met her because of the discontinuity, unless I misunderstand that.

*grumble* I don't like paradoxical infinite-causal-regression time travel loops much: Information that has no origin is something I find inherently suspect. Pragmatically I can imagine them being useful however, which is annoying.
>>
No. 566840 ID: e7112b

> Accept the invitation, and reassure her you'll be careful if Catherine does sneak out. 
"I would be honored. And I will be careful even if Catherine sneaks out, Ms. Kichi?" I say unsure if I am addressing her right, but I must have figured it out because she nodded.
(OOC this is difficult because my personal dialect of English is extremely light on honorifics. Like the last time I used one I was Catherine's age.)
"How formal is the dinner? I have one nicer dress, but I don't remember if it's fixed up.."
"Oh.." she blinks, "No, what you have on now would be fine. Overly fancy clothes can throw off the inner balance needed to use the pools. Though I don't think it will quite work like that for Catherine. I guess some of that will be up to you?" She says frowning in thought.
> knows so much about me, my name is Jasper. It's good to meet you, and thank you for your morning and your wisdom. If that question about Saturday was an invitation I had already made tentative plans to visit the Susonov shrine for meditation class but I'd like to: When would it be, how would I dress, what would I bring and what should I be prepared for?" 
Err..I think we met her last week and she might even have told me her name. I just got distracted by seeing a naked male person for the first time. I wish Ma'am Bentenmaru was back from her expedition. I should ask about the time though. "When will the Saturday dinner be? I was going to go to the Susonov temple for meditation class. ."
"Oh long after that. We don't finish the trek back from the pools until.." She hesitates here calculating in her head "7? We can walk you back to wherever your staying." Huh, I could eat dinner at the house and help clean and still make it to the Kichi 's before they start eating.
She looks up at the pools and sighs. "Anyway I really do need to get going. Tell Catherine that she has one hour before her father comes and gets her. When you see her I mean. When she sneaks out. " She says bowing goodbye.
Jasper bows back, a little confused.
> visiting the rats.
So apparently if I want to talk to the rats I should find a bakery and get on the roof.
That's where they have their lunch parties.

And sure enough. There's a whole teeming mass of them. Like 50 of them, but maybe teeming mass are the wrong words. They are gathered in little groups of 3 to 8, talking excitedly to each other. Almost all of them have swords and most of them have hats. Other clothing or tools make scattered appearances. That rat has pants, this one lace bloomers and a sextant, that one a green vest.
The nearest group makes space for Jasper, standing to introduce themselves.
"Your Highness, we are graced by your presence. This is Sir Robin, Dame Catamorphism, Dame Graceland, Sir Gregori, and I am George-Washington."
"Jasper Irinka." She replies curtseying.
Technically I'm an Imperial Highness, or maybe Imperial Majesty, but it's rude to point that out.
The rats almost immediately begin talking again, apparently Dame Graceland and Sir Gregori went on an adventure against King Death, while Robin is trying to decide on what challenge to ask his suitors on.
>>
No. 566854 ID: a97618

>I guess some of that will be up to you?
Hmm. I don't think we need to consciously try and change the way that works for her. I guess we'll see what happens?

>tell her she'll have an hour when she sneaks out
Heheh. You'll get to be the one warning her about the future, for once.

>highness
The cat really is out of the bag, isn't it. Good thing we're not worried about staying hidden, anymore. But you're right, there's no reason to correct anyone. Generally, I don't think it's going to be to your advantage to make a big deal about your rank or stuff like that.

>rats
...they're adorable. The hats, the courtly attitude, the naming conventions. (Not that I think they'd appreciate that observation, but).

>what do
Well, join in the conversation, I suppose. We sort of came to gossip anyways, so why not participate? After adventure stories (is King Death another Imperator?) and challenges (maybe if we hear what kinds of things have been done in the past you can suggest something) you can bring up your own interest in trying to find a suitable swords teacher, and see what they have to say.
>>
No. 566867 ID: 113912

You're talking to adventurers, seriously. The quickest way to get included in the conversation is mention that you're facing terrible odds against a world of Imperators and Excrusians who all seem to know too much about you and be more powerful than you on top of that. You're here to talk with folks who think odds like that are exciting, make a few friends, and hopefully learn a few things about courage and the tactics which could help you win.

Establish your presence as an opportunity to be the rat who taught the sun how to (X) and they'll be competing with each other to do the best job of it just for the bragging rights. After a while what they think they can teach you just by talking will exhaust itself and they'll come up with a more involved idea too I figure.
>>
No. 566884 ID: 9ddf68

listen in and see if you can find an appropriate opportunity to see if we can ask them to help us with self-defense. I mean the whole reason we came to these guys was to learn how to fight right?
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No. 567174 ID: 941c32
File 139537647078.jpg - (2.88KB , 225x225 , reply.jpg )
567174

> Hmm. I don't think we need to consciously try and change the way that works for her. I guess we'll see what happens?

sounds like a plan.

> Heheh. You'll get to be the one warning her about the future, for once.

Yeah. Might be fun to tease her.

>The cat really is out of the bag, isn't it. Good thing we're not worried about staying hidden, anymore. But you're right, there's no reason to correct anyone. Generally, I don't think it's going to be to your advantage to make a big deal about your rank or stuff like that.

Yeah. The only people I think it might help with are the Entropy's. Not sure why I say that.

> plans.

Okay I'll try.

(The action post post coming tomorrow.)
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No. 571827 ID: 908033
File 139809899127.jpg - (53.18KB , 427x395 , Santa_Maria_Novella_Basilica_(manga).jpg )
571827

The rats are still talking about challenges:

Dame Catamorphism says "Well maybe finding Visible Air?"

"The sword?, You mean? Hmm." replies Sir Grigori "Well wasn't the original a woman's sword?"

"Why would that matter?" asks Sir Robin.

"It wouldn't really, but the symbolism is a little strange. A sword that can’t be seen? As a dowry?” Dame Graceland adds. “Maybe ask for one of the less famous blades lost in that expedition? Didn't it have almost all of Lord Lawnmower's best work?"

"Um." Jasper clears her throat "Speaking of swords? I need one to practice with. And a teacher?"

“Oh! Yes that is an important thing for a young lady, especially a royal lady, to learn.” Dame catamorphism comments. “We can show you forms, but you'll need someone bigger than you to practice against."

Sir Robin, whose blond fur contrasted against his red cap, speaks up. "I practice some with a vampire who lives near by, his form is atrocious, but he is wicked fast. You can come with me and ask him where to get a practice sword."

"Err.. you sure that's a good idea?" Sir George-washington says.

"Oh he wouldn't hurt a fly. Drinks enough pillow teeth tea to make a fort with. You've met him. Always sewing something? "

"Oh, it's not that. It's more..um.." George- Washington says grabbing his ear and looking away from me. "You know. She 's Jade 's daughter."

"Oh, uh..right yeah, maybe I should talk to him alone " Sir Robin replies, scampering off.

It's not long after that Jasper is being lead onto the route that the rats use to get to Horizon. Apparently it's not what they mean by the Far Roofs. The rats try to point out what direction those are, but Jasper finds herself having trouble turning that into a position in terms of m fortitude neighborhoods.

The transition into Horizon is creepy. It snuck up on Jasper. The mountains seem to loom behind her now, and the peaceful rhythms of Fortitude are replaced with a wary hurry.

Bats feast on clouds of mosquitos, as crows argue over scraps of meat. Fortitude had buildings, but nothing like the sprawling manors of carmine and scarlet that lay in the valley before her. Similarly the occasional motor scooter or pickup truck that graced Fortitude's streets might be similar in purpose to the carriages pulled by steam powered horses, or crawling lizards the experience of haVing one pass you differed somewhat.

The rats lead her to a building near the grand campus that forms the centerpiece of the Region. A sigel of a coal black hand dripping a red stain becomes more and more prominent as they near, and Jasper can smell sweet evil on the air. It makes her hungry.

Once they get to the dojo, they find an sign lazily hung that announces that it does not open until 5th period. So somewhat nervously they wait on its stoop.

The rat's conversation picks up again, and then drops away into long periods where no-one seems to be paying attention. It's almost like time itself is gathered into quick bunches of triple events then fades into indeterminate langure.

Finally a group of students approach, lead by the most beautiful person Jasper has ever seen. Until that moment she had thought her mother embodied beauty. But in seeing this teens smile she knows that something precious was stolen and given in the same moment, and that he would never, could never, maybe must never understand.

A sign raised behind him proclaims him "Soun Shonen : #1 Idol". Jasper finds herself rambling about a sword, looking in on her actions as if possessed. A subtle change in his grin as he perfectly mixes politeness and relaxed informality compels one of his followers to run in and fetch a wooden sword for Jasper. Jasper blushes at him dOing something for -her-. She should be serving him!

>
>>
No. 571835 ID: 824f43

>Visible Air
>A sword that can’t be seen
Oooh, I like the sound of that. If reacting to and responding to your enemy is a crucial part of swordplay, a blade that can't be seen is certainly an advantage. And thematically, invisibility fits right in with your connection to light, and air is certainly associated with the sun.

If rats don't follow up on that, that's a quest hook we may wish to follow ourselves some day.

>A vampire training the daughter of the sun
>you sure that's a good idea?
Hmm. Yes, that certainly has the potential to go wrong, doesn't it.

>looking in on her actions as if possessed.
>She should be serving him!
Jasper, I think you're under some form of mental influence. That you're affected by a vampiric glamor or mesmerization. You're not acting like you're in control of yourself.

It's one thing to show the proper respect for another in their domain. But remember who you are. What you are. You are Jasper Irinka, Imperator and her Imperial Highness, Goddess and heir both to the Sun and the forces Outside that stand in Opposition.

You will show your host the respect he deserves in his own domain, and as an instructor or sparing partner, should you accept him in those roles. But the Sun does not serves a creature of darkness. A God does not serve a demon. And one sired by the forces Outside the light of creation itself does not bow to a lesser creature, hiding from the light of Sun in its own domain.

Break free. If the fire and fury of indignation is not enough- try going cold. Emotions don't touch you there, and those are what he is toying with.
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No. 571866 ID: f12e94

You are a goddess Jasper, what is this 'serve him' business? Where did this idea come from? I'm pretty sure it isn't your idea. The cold certainty of fatalism is better than this fevered, sycophantic surrender if you can't otherwise resist this attack.
Becoming angry with him would be nearly as much of a loss as being a sniveling asskisser though: Thank him, and ask him who he would suggest as a teacher and for practicing with.

Clearly we need to do more work on your mental defenses--triply so if something less than a god or goddess can do this to you.
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No. 571879 ID: 00b2db
File 139813277974.jpg - (2.75KB , 300x300 , stars-in-the-dark.jpg )
571879

But so..he's so pretty.

No your right. I am more then this, more then a servant of the beautiful. I serve Heaven. I serve Beauty, and Justice. I am a child of the void beyond, and no Idol, no false thing of the world will sway my will.

Jasper feels her heart grow cold, empty, a silvery reflection.

She looks down at the sword he is presenting to her. "Thank you. I appreciate the help getting closer to <i>my mother</i>"

(more to come)
>>
No. 571896 ID: 824f43

>But so..he's so pretty.
You're free to experience or appreciate beauty, without being controlled by it.

>Becoming angry with him would be nearly as much of a loss as being a sniveling asskisser though
Agreed. He tested us- tried to see if there was an opportunity on his part to exploit. He's failed, and we know he tried, and he will know we know. That's what's important here- winning the game of control.
>>
No. 571902 ID: f12e94

>>571896
>He tested us- tried to see if there was an opportunity on his part to exploit.

Your assessment presumes conscious, and discretionary, intentionality. We do not know if such is the case: Most glamours I am familiar with are either (or both of) indiscriminate, and inherent instead of intentional acts. This makes it no less an attack but perhaps the term, "Collateral damage," is relevant here?
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No. 572139 ID: 00b2db

Jasper grabs the sword and turns. Starting to walk away.
"Come on, don't be cold now. Spreading the art is part of why this Club exists. At least join Us for Our warm up?" Shounen says. “Shounen” is a kind of odd name. “Boy” would be the english. Not that far from being called “hey you.”
I try to do my exercises right though its hard to care about them with Shounen right there doing most of them better than I can. Though he isn’t as good as Dad, not even close. The club is fairly eclectic, one girl is 6 feet tall and really strong, another boy has fox ears and a tail, and they seem to be using different weapons and styles. All swords or long daggers though.
Pretty soon I am turning his offer to escort me out of Horison down and heading back home. As soon as he is gone I let my heart heal, and try to relax. It doesn’t really work until I get back to Fortitude. I keep working myself up worrying about something corrupting me, or watching me. Its unpleasant.
Anything I should do before seeing Mother McCormick tomorrow?
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No. 572164 ID: 824f43

Huh. I wonder if we overreacted. Was that a girlish crush in the face of supernatural beauty we treated as a hostile mind control attempt? I want to say no ("She should be serving him!" is really telling), but Shounen's reaction didn't seem proportional at all. Maybe >>571902 was right, and he wasn't doing it intentionally or consciously?

I suppose we'll need more interaction to see. Possibly he won't have the same effect on you again, now that you're aware of it.

>I try to do my exercises right though its hard to care about them with Shounen right there doing most of them better than I can.
That reaction almost seems out of character for you. You seemed to me like someone who would strive for excellence, no matter the context. A side of effect of being cold? I suppose we don't know that you as well.

Or maybe when you practice your father's art it's harder to care about something connected to your mother. Have you ever noticed a disconnect like that before? Had you ever tried to overlap their teachings before?

>Anything I should do before seeing Mother McCormick tomorrow?
Spend time with those who make your heart warm. Get away from the thoughts of unpleasantness and paranioa. Hang with Ashley and your adoptive family.
>>
No. 572213 ID: 908033

He definitely noticed that I resisted. I Don't know what that means.
>>
No. 572232 ID: f12e94

>Huh. I wonder if we overreacted. Was that a girlish crush in the face of supernatural beauty we treated as a hostile mind control attempt?

Even if it wasn't I think getting into the habit of letting Jasper's will be compelled like that is a bad idea: She will be dealing with HATE amongst others. Becoming sociopathic and lacking in empathy is one problem to worry about, but having sufficient strength of focus and will to resist being subjugated by the wills and agendas of others is likely at least as serious a worry.

>Or maybe when you practice your father's art it's harder to care about something connected to your mother. Have you ever noticed a disconnect like that before?

I suspect there wasn't much need to use this ability while living mother. If you do know more about this we could use the information to help guide you better though Jasper.

>He definitely noticed that I resisted. I Don't know what that means.

It means that he knew about this power and has some understanding of what it does. That doesn't by itself give us information about how intentional or discriminatory it is or how it works though.

We also need to develop a stronger sense of self if just *being* in Horizon is a serious personality-corruption issue. You tell us whether that's best done by enjoying time with your adoptive family, meditation or otherwise.
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No. 572329 ID: 961d2e

>We also need to develop a stronger sense of self if just *being* in Horizon is a serious personality-corruption issue. You tell us whether that's best done by enjoying time with your adoptive family, meditation or otherwise.
I am not sure that is avoidable. Everyone seemed different there. It reminded me of the couple of times when I visited Earth with Mom. Things were detailed and dead, Heaven distant and hidden, perception clouded but also insightful. I think I can almost see how such a world could have causality and math instead of karma. It's funny a quick look makes town seem like Earth... but I don't think Science would work here.

But what I mean is I think its not that Horizon changed my personality, as much as being worried is natural in Horizon. It is Lord Entropy's home after all. A place for monsters and exams and forgotten homework and bullies.
A place where you have to go a little over the top to stay sane.
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No. 572346 ID: 824f43

>>572213
Well, it could mean several things. Maybe he's surprised that he could not control you, and still wishes to find some advantage? Maybe he's interested because he can't control you? (If it's involuntary on his part, I can certainly see why he'd take an interest in someone who doesn't get swept up in his aura just being around him).

Although we don't know him or his motivations nearly well enough to guess anything right now.

>>572329
>Everyone seemed different there.
It's literally a different world, I suppose. You'll need to learn how to cope there.

>A place where you have to go a little over the top to stay sane.
Almost seems to me like you need an attitude that would be more in line with classical mythology when you're there. A hero or god isn't made great so much by what they believe or stand for, but because they have the power to do great things (and this, in many instances, is the moral justification for the same actions). It's kind of a self-justifying ethos (that veers into the outright sociopathic if you look too close), but that kind of self-assured confidence and justification in the rightness of your actions by the ability to execute them seems kind of the appropriate way to carry yourself in the land of fear and monsters.

The old-school approach. Be terrible and awesome to behold.

Specifics aside, I think you'll need to visit again, later. Learning how to function there will be important- especially if you accept Entropy's 'invitation' to attend his school. The fencing club does provide a potential lower stakes proving ground.
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No. 572367 ID: f12e94

I find this phenomenon interesting then, if a world's specifics truly make so much of a difference that your divinity may mean nearly nothing in different places. If you have the power to make (or take) a world of your own, with attributes selected to your advantage, that seems like it could be important for any Imperator.

My colleague's advice on the 'big personality' concept of monsters and heroes is roughly what I'd suggest for Horizon.
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No. 572368 ID: f12e94

Additional ideas:
Invite Entropy Junior for coffee here in Fortitude, and ask him about the different cliques in Horizon and what his life is like there. We could certainly use him as a friend, or at least an associate, and I have just the slightest feeling that he might need some less-monstrous company himself.
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No. 572408 ID: 00b2db

> Invite Entropy Junior for coffee here in Fortitude, and ask him about the different cliques in Horizon and what his life is like there. We could certainly use him as a friend, or at least an associate, and I have just the slightest feeling that he might need some less-monstrous company himself.

Yeah that sounds fun. Someone I can talk too about being an Imperator.
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No. 572694 ID: 9ec4ad
File 139880559944.jpg - (1.35KB , 120x120 , images-21.jpg )
572694

The ride to the island and the hike to the temple are pretty much the same. Maybe a few more sheep?
It's not until I can see the white of mom's statue that I realize I have no idea what I am going to say.
>
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No. 572751 ID: f12e94

The simplest thing to start with would be, "Hello, how are you today?" which would be appropriate to finding out just how busy the people at that temple are. I have no idea what a temple for a dead imperator is good for or what they would do there, but mom's death may have made them either more or less busy.

Another thing to try is, "Sorry for running off on you last time but you can probably guess why I did that. Do you have any more questions for me?" That, or something like it would be an invitation for Mother McCormick to talk to you about who mother was to you, and that mey be more helpful for grief, acceptance and understanding than her perspective. You also did mention something about mother to her the last time that she didn't know and she likely has follow-up questions she's dying to ask if you can handle that.

You might also find that just meditating there is helpful, since it was, and perhaps still is, one of the places connected to your mother.
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No. 572754 ID: a95b2e

Well, you can probably afford to be less circumspect with your identity, since Mother McCormick likely made you last time, and secrecy is much less a concern than it once was.

That said, I don't think you necessarily want to be open either. The god child come to her mother's shrine, trumpet trumpet trumpet, hello worshipers, one side. That would get in the way of what you're trying to do here. Those close enough to the temple will know who the girl who visits this place is, and that's enough. (Is there irony in the sun keeping a low profile? I suppose one does get used to it, and tends not to notice it).

One though that strikes me is it would be wrong to try and claim this place, even if you can. It's a temple to Jade, not to the sun. To what she stood for, not to the role you've assumed. And too much of what you stand for is still shaped by her, or yet undefined, for you to establish your own places in the world, much less replace hers. You're here to learn, not to lead. Jade may be gone, but there are at least some who still need her. (An argument we may have to present to Mother McCormick if she does anything silly like offering us the temple, although I don't expect that of her).

More specifically, as to what you should do- if there's no one at the door, or between you and the statue, I would take a moment to commune. Pay your respects. Mother McCormick will probably find you, if she's around. (She's potentially a useful source of information, but being too direct about it now would almost seem disrespectful. And it's hard to know what questions to ask. There are fundamental things you still need to learn about yourself, and your role. Maybe we could open with something along the lines of, "I'm not sure what to do with myself." Or "I was looking for guidance").

From an emotional point of view, I'd think it's healthy for you just to be here. To keep her in your life, and honor her in tending to this place. More metaphysically, nurturing a connection with your mother will hopefully help you understand your own role and powers better. Although exactly how we achieve that isn't clear. Meditation might be a way to attune with what's here, possibly.
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No. 572763 ID: f12e94

> [...]Is there irony in the sun keeping a low profile?[...]

Forgive me but I must tell this joke: What there is in the sun keeping a low profile isn't irony so much as it is either a season or a time of day, namely winter and twilight--or perhaps night--respectively.

Sorry, bad joke finished and we can now carry on with the grief rituals and other purposes of visiting mom's temple.
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No. 572884 ID: 908033
File 139904770654.jpg - (142.72KB , 962x830 , Crying_for_Sun_by_hakeryk2.jpg )
572884

I sit near the base of the statue looking up at its face.
It's not quite right, the nose is too high and the hair is sort of too fancy and not fancy enough at the same time. Though maybe she dressed up to visit the island? That would explain why she is wearing something closer to what her ministers usually dressed in then her battle clothes or her court uniform.
Still the way the morning light catches on the white stone and the firm but kind smile on her face remind me of her .. certainty. She knew what was right, and loved that justice until it glowed from her.
Everything was so simple when she was there. Sure sometimes I wanted something and she didn't give it to me but was right about those things, in the end. She knew what was right, what was wrong.
I see Mother McCormick approaching as she sweeps off the steps of the temple. She looks up at Mom's statue. "Hmm. I must admit I don't know the proper way to address you. Or exactly who you are. I was warned to expect someone. . but you aren't them, even if the resemblance is striking. 'Angels have peers/sisters but no masters/parents'" She quotes speaking the true tongue of Heaven.
I blink, both at her words and her speaking the true tongue. I had thought it was forbidden to humans by the curse of the Tower.
"Sorry. It's our job to be confusing sometimes, and us priests can forget to stop doing it sometimes. If you want to talk or listen or be in silence, all three are welcome here."
I open my mouth, but even with your help it's hard to organize what I want to say. There is just so much I want to say and am afraid of saying. Somehow it feels like if I just don't talk about Mother maybe she will still be okay.
I shake my head and smile slightly. "It's no problem. I am not sure why I am here exactly. I want to remember who she was. Maybe see some sides of her I couldn't back.." my throat almost seizes as a sob crushes my words. "Back..back. . When she was.." I close my eyes and force it out. "..she was alive."
(More coming but feel free to ask/say things)
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No. 572886 ID: a95b2e

>It's not quite right
Hmm. That's the thing about art- any representation is going to be imperfect. Even ignoring limitations of the medium or human skill, it'll be influenced by how the artist perceived her, and what they tried to convey. Naturally, what she meant to them wouldn't be exactly the same as what she meant to you.

>I had thought it was forbidden to humans by the curse of the Tower.
What's that? Forbidden like they aren't supposed to, or forbidden like they can't? In the later case, that might imply she's not exactly human. Or that this curse no longer applies or holds weight (or is being enforced) after what happened to the world.

>I must admit I don't know the proper way to address you. Or exactly who you are.
That's really the problem you're having, and part of the reason you're here. You don't exactly know who you're supposed to be, now, or how to be it. (We do have some ideas, but they're still kind of big and non-specific).

A more literal response- you're Jasper. (I don't see the point in insisting on formal titles, here. Unless she actually asks for them, and you can indulge in the full litany of court titles).
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No. 572904 ID: 00b2db
File 139906215404.jpg - (32.83KB , 283x434 , 16.jpg )
572904

> Hmm. That's the thing about art- any representation is going to be imperfect. Even ignoring limitations of the medium or human skill, it'll be influenced by how the artist perceived her, and what they tried to convey. Naturally, what she meant to them wouldn't be exactly the same as what she meant to you.

That makes sense.

> What's that? Forbidden like they aren't supposed to, or forbidden like they can't? In the later case, that might imply she's not exactly human. Or that this curse no longer applies or holds weight (or is being enforced) after what happened to the world.

One of the fights between the Light and the Dark if am remembering right. I think an agent of Heaven got involved too, but mom didn't really explain, just that humanity is normally fairly protected, so even though Science is dangerous to the "ontological inte..integrity" of the prosaic world they are allowed to do it, but some humans were trying to get into heaven but would have just broken the sky which was what the dark wanted and almost tricked us into making happen? The Light was able to twist the falling of the tower into a diaspora, each level becoming a different tribe of people with its own history and language hopefully keeping humanity from coordinating enough to do projects that would risk the survival of the species. Which also mollify the Angels who were worried about security after Lucifer's Insurrection.

Mom did warn me to be careful dealing with humans, as a lot of Imperators with think of me as weak if I am nice to them, and the Light will hate me if I am mean.

This all me quoting stories I only half understand though. I was more interested in hearing Mom talk about flying to Mars to see my uncle.
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No. 572907 ID: 88960e

Oh. The tower of Babel. Yes, if Celestial was the tongue humanity lost then, it is kind of odd she knows it.

I wonder if the universe's contraction countetacted some of the scattering?

Probably not a problem we need to worry about (it may not even be a problem), but interesting.
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No. 572940 ID: f12e94

>I blink, both at her words and her speaking the true tongue. I had thought it was forbidden to humans by the curse of the Tower.

It's the sort of question we should be forwarding in mail to heaven, when we start clearing out some of the accumulated to-do list items (which we haven't compiled into a single list yet). Risking the wrong decision from ignorance is a more foolish idea than asking the people who would know I'd figure.

Introducing yourself as Jasper does seem quite appropriate, along with a warning not to ask for the rest of it because you don't want to take all day. Implying she shouldn't dig too deep ought to work unless you want to have a conversation about those deeper topics. However, we do need some guidance on what to expect here from Heaven apparently, so let's stick to topics you're sure humans should know about for now unless McCormick isn't human.

Here's an idea: Ask about normal grieving rituals and practices. This is something she should know a fair bit about and have useful experience with.
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No. 572961 ID: 00b2db

Should I tell her I am Jade's daughter. And who my father is? She seems to know I am related, but..
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No. 572966 ID: a95b2e

>>572961
Oh, right. The obvious decision.

Well, practically, if you plan on using this place to help your connection to your mother and to help you understand your own abilities / nature as the apparent sun, honesty would probably help. If you've got a wall up, it'll be in the way.

Of course, there are potential drawbacks to openness. For instance, there's the possibility she gets all worship-y, or tries to turn the temple to you (third paragraph here >>572754 would be my advice to try and talk sense out of that outcome), or sort of closes off as a helpful person to you if your relationship fundamentally changes. Revealing Dad also has obvious risks of alienation.

...overall, I'd still lean towards honesty. Hiding now seems like second guessing why we came here. And hiding the truth doesn't feel right in this place.

I'd tell her.
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No. 572980 ID: f12e94

> Should I tell her I am Jade's daughter. And who my father is? She seems to know I am related, but..

I wouldn't bring it up, and what to tell her would depend on what she's asking for I'd say.
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No. 572992 ID: 00b2db

Mou! Well I guess, what's the point of multiple advisers if they always agreed.
>>
No. 573027 ID: f12e94

>[...]Well I guess, what's the point of multiple advisers if they always agreed.

I could back up my proposal to avoid declaring ourself Jasper Irinka, heir to Jade:
-We don't know the full stance of what is and isn't permitted with respect to subjects you know may be sensitive like the language of heaven, and we need to find out the party line before we make a mistake that would get held against us
-Who or what Ms McCormick herself is happens to be something you know little about
-What she has already said could indicate your mother was playing fast and loose with some of heaven's rules for reasons we don't know and you don't want to get caught in a major political problem
-You don't know her loyalties and affiliations, or even exactly what she has to do here now that mother is gone

I would stay away from discussing politically-sensitive topics. Since you don't even know what the full list of those is we have to be careful to avoid everything that could be one of them. We should avoid directly talking about who we are and who your family was, and name yourself as, 'Jasper, just Jasper for now.' If she knew your mother had a daughter and what that daughter's name was that should very strongly imply that you are avoiding politically sensitive discussion. Even if she didn't know about your name it should imply it, without requiring you to lie about who you are.
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No. 573031 ID: a95b2e

Well, I already mostly made my arguments. But I'll add:

>what to tell her would depend on what she's asking for
I'd think her casual statement of ignorance as to who we are to be a kind of compromise- a way of saying I'd like to know, but I'm not asking per se in case I'm not supposed to know or you don't wish to answer.

>toe the party line / subjects permissible
>political stuff
>playing fast and loose with some of heaven's rules
If Jade keeping Jasper a secret even from her peers (and her priestess?) is any indication, the worst fuax pas we could offend heaven with is likely our very existence (we're the product of her sleeping with the enemy). Followed or superseded by our association with her death.

Fundamentally, I'd think there's a good chance they'd see us as Jade's mistake, and hold that against us. I doubt we can do much wrong in this conversation that will make their current bias towards us any worse than it may already be. Mistakes of our own would have to be of a certain magnitude to contribute significantly to the tally.

I'll also note that most of those concerns seem kind of long term to me. Our relationship to the forces of heaven is a problem for the future- learning how to be what we are, and establishing a relationship with someone who can help us with that, is a problem for now. Secrecy seems an impediment.

At least some of the concerns you list can be addressed right now, though. We could ask about her use of the tongue of heaven, or what she sees her role as, or the temple's role as, now. Before making (or deciding to make) the reveal, or not, even. There's an advantage in trying to get her to see us as a person before we risk dehumanizing ourself by deifying ourself.

Lastly, it seems silly to me to hide this from someone in a position to be as useful as she can, unless we pin down a real risk in the reveal (like it would radically change her behavior or our relationship for the worse). Especially when so many others seem to know already.
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No. 573042 ID: f12e94

>If Jade keeping Jasper a secret even from her peers (and her priestess?) is any indication[...]

There is still a sun even after Jade's death. There's no way that heaven missed that, the mortals all know. Right now they can't afford to be too harsh with us because the Imperator side of the Excrusian-Imperator conflict lost so badly that they can't afford to waste possible recruits/muscle. Even if whoever is higher in the hierarchy is wary or temperamental about dealing with us directly then talking to Eclipse should be fine, and is a good first step to making friends and allies affiliated with Heaven.
On the flip side to that, they also can't afford mavericks who screw up the team plan. If we're demonstrably bad at playing nice with the overall plans we would just be a problem to be marginalized instead of a prospect to be recruited and supported. Don't give up on getting in Heaven's good books just because we know mom was keeping us sheltered, we don't even know who she was hiding from what there aside from vague guesses that she was hiding evidence of her involvement with an Excrusian: If that was the case the cat's already out of the bag now so there's only prejudice to worry about. For all we know she may have been trying to protect them from Jasper, heir to one of the most threatening Excrusians.

But we should really work on specifics of what to talk about to see if we can satisfy both perspectives, or at least identify which set of goals is more important here and now: I was figuring on talking to Mother McCormick about grieving, and who mother was to her priests and believers. I was hoping that would be useful to talk about and wouldn't risk political problems. What were you hoping to discuss that does require us to declare our identity and status?
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No. 573052 ID: a95b2e

>can't miss, can't afford
Oh, I agree. They know there's a sun, and if creation needs one, they aren't in a position to do anything about us. That, and there are forces protecting this place, from them as much as anyone else.

Although that doesn't mean they have to like it.

>Don't give up on getting in Heaven's good books
Oh, I think that's definitely possible (although if our quest for justice means we have to work towards a full understanding of what happened, that likely means we'll have to get closer to our Excrusian side than they'd be happy with. We're likely going to be marginalized for a bit if we insist on pursuing that).

But at the same time, I don't feel a protocol error, or breaking an unknown code of conduct in one conversation is going to count much against us, either. It's a recoverable error, if in fact we make an error at all.

>What were you hoping to discuss that does require us to declare our identity and status?
We've had a lot of questions about, well, what it means to be a god, or the sun. Our very nature, our abilities, our capabilities. I don't expect Mother McCormick can answer all those directly, or even teach us all of that, but if she knows who we are and what we're trying to do, she might be able to help us. If we conceal who and what we are, we lose that. Basically, this temple has the potential to be our sun-school, if you will. We need to decide on what terms we're going to make that work.

I think the big question is how the person in front of us will react to being told, or not told, and how that influences how we interact with her, and how we can operate, here and now. That's the light I think we should be considering this in. It will likely be years before we interact directly with heaven, and we have plenty of time to establish a more favorable reputation (or earn their disgust) though our behavior. I feel like giving to much weight to what heaven might think ignores person for politics- and worse, politics we know next to nothing about.

(I apologize for the verboseness. I'm not trying to shout you down with a wall of words, but I can't seem to manage to express myself concisely).
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No. 573057 ID: f12e94

>We've had a lot of questions about, well, what it means to be a god, or the sun. Our very nature, our abilities, our capabilities.

Ah, well, we're going at this from different ends then. I was assuming that she is not an Imperator and therefore wouldn't have a lot of directly useful advice at that level. I was also assuming that she knows, as a priestess, about comforting the grieving and what her believer-facing version of who mom was and what she did, and that we should limit ourselves to talking about those things until we have established a connection to Heaven and learned what their rulebook says.

That contains two assumptions of course, which I am not qualified to test.
>>
No. 573276 ID: 961d2e
File 139932877739.jpg - (60.91KB , 464x640 , SunGoddess.jpg )
573276

"So who. . Who was she to you? What did this place mean to her?" I ask, drying my eyes.
"That's a complicated question, she was many things to us. She made this place, as a haven. A place to hold onto the illumination of Heaven and the grace of Light.
"She gave us our rituals and our prayers. Told us to keep our lives holy and pure, and told us that our struggles mattered.
"And the echo of her voice still lays over the land, echoing our deeds."
"She changed Town and brought us here. Saying to the humans there that they should rule, but to be kind and careful in that rule.
"She brought this island to Town and asked my grandmother to listen to all who came, and my mother and then me continue that task.
"We saw her each day, an invulnerable shield against the nothingness. And when she fell we -knew- that our last day had dawned.
"And yet. . Maybe she was more. . Tricky then we knew. Because I am here talking to you, in the light of a new Sun, seeing her image glow with her love." Mother McCormick pauses here.
>
>>
No. 573319 ID: a95b2e

Okay, she knows. Well, she doesn't know, but she sure as hell suspects, and is waiting to see if we'll tell her.

...she was my mother.
>>
No. 573320 ID: 961d2e

What makes you say that?
>>
No. 573321 ID: a95b2e

>>573320
...huh. Not who I was expecting argument from.

Maybe I'm seeing what I want to see. I'm going to go bed, and take another look at this in the morning.
>>
No. 573322 ID: f12e94

"I don't really have the vaguest idea what she was thinking or planning as far as that goes, and I probably need to find out. I was there when it happened but I barely have more than suspicions about all the immediate and deeper reasons why things happened that way.
"One thing I do know is that what you said earlier, (translate this part) 'Angels have peers/sisters but no masters/parents' surprises me. Are you an angel? If you aren't then knowing that might be dangerous, or perhaps I'm misinformed and it isn't. Either way, there's too much I don't know about that and all the rest of what... Jade was, and what she did."
>>
No. 573338 ID: a95b2e

>>573320
Okay, putting my thoughts in order: she knows there's a new sun, she describes it slash it's relation to Jade with in terms of love (which would suggest a familial bond), and she can see your resemblance.

Unless she's completely married to that gods not having children quotation, the idea should have at least occurred to her. At the very least, she recognizes your connection, and that you know something she does not.

Regardless of what she knows or suspects though, she's noticeably asking a question without asking (she's done that more than once, now). I suppose that's a skill you master in her role.

>What do/say
The matter of Jade's role does leave a possible natural segue to your own questions and uncertainty about your role / abilities. (...You don't exactly know who you're supposed to be, now, or how to be it). That's something this temple can likely help you explore, whether or not you reveal your identity.

>Angels have peers/sisters but no masters/parents
>Are you an angel
Well, if the quotation is meant to be taken literally, I would think not, as she admitted to having a mother and grandmother. That said, if you examine her worlds carefully, there's no exact grouping of herself with humanity. "The humans" not "we humans", and the we-s and us-es used are applied to the people of the temple.

It might be worth exploring what she meant by that. Aren't there all kinds of myths of their having children? Even the sun. You heard one about a pine needle just the other day.

>temple's grieving rituals
Didn't comment on this before since we got caught up arguing about other things, but not a bad idea.

(Any of these three could naturally lead to a place where it would be appropriate to reveal ourself, if we decide to do o, but I suppose I'll hold off on lobbying that till we've had our questions answered. Perhaps the subtlest and most understated reveal- if we engage in a ritual, and she asks who we're grieving for (I'm assuming who it's for influences the ritual), we simply say "a mother". It doesn't directly admit to anything, but it's an answer without answering for her question without asking).

>on the other stuff we arguing about
It almost sounds like this is something Jade set up by herself. In which case, there may not even be relevant celestial rules / protocol to worry about (that, or she already broke them, acting alone).
>>
No. 573373 ID: 94d694
File 139940012407.gif - (10.60KB , 300x90 , languages-around-the-world-300x90.gif )
573373

> Unless she's completely married to that gods not having children quotation, the idea should have at least occurred to her. 
That's not quite what what the quotation is saying. It's saying Angels don't have parents. Otherwise I would be a counter example. Also there are lots of gods only a few of whom are Angels or even Imperators. Having a cult is dangerous because others can steal it and use it to twist or channel your power. Probobly that's why Mom's temple is here and not Earth or home. This place feels hidden away.
"I don't know what she was planning." Ibarely frowning, "I was there when it happened but I barely have more than suspicions about how and why. Angles aren't supposed to die. It's not possible except Da..Fa..his bow it's.. dangerous." I continue, "And they were talking, and she did something, and then he was angry, and I was falling." And I have to close my eyes and calm down. I can feel the mirror of Father's anger in my heart. It burns, colder then the dark.
Mother McCormick reaches out and I let her hug me until I can calm a little, until I can forget some of that anger.
I start again. "One thing I do know is that what you said earlier, (translate this part) 'Angels have peers/sisters but no masters/parents' surprises me. I've heard it before, but a human shouldn't be able to speak it. Knowing the True Tongue of Heaven is dangerous for humans. Are you an angel? If you aren't then knowing that might be dangerous, or perhaps I'm misinformed Either way, there's too much I don't know about that and all the rest of what... Jade was, and what she did."
Mother McCormick smiles sadly, "I'm human, but Town, even before little Island came to it, escaped the Curse of the Tower. Or so was explained to me. I must admit the idea of not understanding a language confuses me. I mean how can you think in a language you don't know." She pauses here thinking deeply. "Why don't I show you The One to Come, also called the Grey Lady, or the Practical Teacher."
[More coming, da..dum..da..dum]
>>
No. 573568 ID: 961d2e
File 139952147299.jpg - (14.13KB , 300x168 , falling skys.jpg )
573568

Once inside the temple, she leads me to an archway flanked by two carved figures I recognize as the Ministers of Sunrise and Sunset. Between them is a fresco depicting a pair of doors opening into the lower level of Celestia.
Mother McCormick reaches behind the ear of the carving of the Minister of Sunrise. "Now.." She pauses, and then leans against the right half of the fresco. It clicks and then tilts inward revealing a short dark passage. she pulls Jasper with her into the darkness, and then they are in a grey room, lit only dimly. One wall is filled with a charcoal drawing: A woman, skin pale, in black clothing, and carrying an umbrella, a sad smile on her face, showing her pity for the world, but it is her eyes that most grab Jaspers vision, they are her father’s eyes, holes into a far and Sunless land.
They fill her vision, and her mind. She is at the edge of the universe, looking up to the stars that shone before the Tree, a wind blows out the flame that lights her self, and the stars fall, one by one until the light and the dark are one.
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
What the hand dare seize the fire?
And what shoulder, & what art.
What the hammer?
what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp
(&) When the stars threw down their spears,
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Jasper finds herself standing outside the doorway, in the sun-drenched temple once more, crying. It takes her a while to realize she is being held by Mother McCormick. “She knew..Mother knew!” she sobs into the Priestess’s arms.
>
>>
No. 573585 ID: a95b2e

>“She knew..Mother knew!” she sobs into the Priestess’s arms
...well, that's one decision we won;t have to debate, then.

>what do
This is one time where you emotions and vulnerabilities are not something you need to lock up to protect yourself. You never had a chance to mourn, and this is as an appropriate place as you could ever find. Let your rain fall.

Continue and compose yourself when you're ready.
>>
No. 573597 ID: f12e94

I'm not sure what you saw... did they make a Mimic out of your mother?
>>
No. 573601 ID: a95b2e

>>573597
If I'm reading this right... Senko's title is the one to come. Which would imply she wasn't before. I think Senko is Jade. Or... was Jade. That the Grey was born from the fire going out. (Possibly supported by one of the ambiguous lines in father's letter). Jasper is the sun's spark- a flame split off, now independent. Senko is the sun's ashes.

The fact that Jade knew raises all kinds of questions, though. Why didn't she do anything to prevent this? What was her real objective? Father, in his letter, tried to make it sound as if he had no choice, that she had some terrible plan to win the war that forced his hand. But that can't be the case if she saw this coming- if she truly sought to win above all else, she would not have accepted her destruction.

Unless her death is part of a longer plan that serves that victory- if she was her own sacrificial queen to reach a later mate.

Or was she motivated by something else? Did she chose the path where her daughter(s?) would survive? Did she allow everything to skirt so close to complete destruction in order to put an end to the conflict? (So her supposed plan to win at terrible cost was just a bluff to manipulate father?). Did she realize it was inevitable, and simply accept it and prepare what contingencies she could?

...this also makes the question of justice all the much harder. If she knew this would happen, if she allowed this to happen, does that make her responsible for the damage caused by her death? And more than that- to what extent does that mean He is still responsible for her death?
>>
No. 573614 ID: 149b07

I spend a long while crying. Mother McCormick's robe-vest-thing is soaked with my tears, and smeared with snot. I'm crying but I'm also so angry.
How could She? How could She ever kiss him with Her death in his eyes? How could she make me if she knew she would leave me? How could she go through with whatever she did that set him off?
Didn't she care about me?
Or was I just a mistake, a .. a trial run. She told Mother McCormick about Ms. Senko, she put her picture in the holy of holies, but didn't tell her about me?
I hate them all. I want to tear down this whole darned temple! And ..
And I .. I
I still want to be a good girl. I hate her so much but I still want her to be proud.
"I'll eat all my metals, and play nice with nursy, and take my baths. . And.. And. .I just want to see her again."
I just keep crying for a long long time.
It's not until it's almost noon that I calm down a little.
Mother McCormick invites me to lunch, she has a simple meal, I only eat tiny bits while she explains where each part of the meal was grown.
It's nice to just let the words wash over me.

>
>>
No. 573618 ID: a95b2e

>anger, bargaining, blame
It's not wrong to feel that way.

>How could she make me if she knew she would leave me?
Nearly every parent expects to leave their child behind one day, unless the worst happens and their children die first. Creating life despite the certainty of death... that's a kind of hope, or faith. It's what keeps life going.

>How could She ever kiss him with Her death in his eyes?
That's... complicated, and hard to say. Did she fall in love before she knew what he would do, or after? When did she know? ...and even if we assume she didn't know to start, they were always enemies, generals on opposite sides of a nearly incomprehensible war. It was something powerful that overcame that.

Much of it depends on what she was really trying to do, and the answers to the questions I brought up before. Was she driven by love, and willing to accept what happiness she could have while she could, despite how things would end? Did she do it for her children, thinking it was worth it to bring you into the world? Was it for a duty; all a grand sacrificial play, allowing herself to be seduced and slain by the enemy for a later victory we as of yet do not understand? Was it for a peace- was her death, this renewal, a fundamental change in reality, the alternative to an endless war she saw for her family? Some combination of these, or factors we haven't considered?

It's entirely too complicated, and depends on information we do not have. Earlier, we considered that you would one day have to understand your father to understand what would be just. Apparently, you will need to understand your mother as well. I'm not sure what avenues will lead us there, but I suspect when you are grown, and we are involved in this investigation in earnest, that you will need to approach the celestial. Find those who knew her as we did not.

...I know one story, of a village where people knew their deaths. Their deaths were people- they grew with them, and spent their lives beside them. They didn't fear death, for their deaths were familiar, old friends. It's a strange idea, but there can be a comfort in that certainty, I suppose. If one accepts that, love in a similar circumstances doesn't feel so impossible.

Love isn't very reasonable, anyways. You feel how you feel, regardless of the sense of it.

>Didn't she care about me?
I think you know the answer to that, already. She didn't fake the love you saw, or felt.

>Or was I just a mistake, a .. a trial run.
I very much doubt that.

>She told Mother McCormick about Ms. Senko, she put her picture in the holy of holies, but didn't tell her about me?
My guess was she told her- that she left that image in that secret room- for you to find. If she knew what was to happen, she knew where you would end up. That there was a good chance you'd see this place out. It's a message- for you.

The real question is what it's meant to say. Obviously, for the moment, it's given us a good deal more questions than answers. But they are questions you would have never thought to ask, otherwise. I think it's meant to help you.

>what do
If you're up to it, and since the cat is out of the bag anyways, now might be the time to ask about how the temple deals with mourning or grief. Or to come back to the problem of yourself- and your uncertainty of your role- how to be what you are, or what you're supposed to be, now.
>>
No. 573660 ID: f12e94

"'[...] when I come I will show you that hope is pointless, and dreams are worse than Lies.' I suppose she would consider herself a 'Grey Lady' or a 'Practical Teacher.' If you didn't know already I guess you've figured out my relation to mom now. What I'm wondering is what she told you about me before I got here, and what her plans for this part are."
>>
No. 573728 ID: 908033

Mother McCormick replies "Well.. It's hard to say. Mostly she gave us duties or tasks, and then, sometimes, later we would understand why. She told us that we would need to care for the people of this island, and to show visitors what was beautiful about this life. And that in the face of power and destruction that would serve us best.

"We were told to expect strange allies and foes. I think she was worried about you, but confidant in your power. She gave us instructions for dealing with the young Entropy, or at least so I thought at the time. Now. . Now I think some of it was about you.

"81 years ago she asked my mother to get sunspot records from the Observatory, and encouraged my aunt's interest in Midwifery. And then all the sunspot records mysteriously burned, and aunts books yellowed and cracked as if they had been left in the Sun for years.

"I think you and your sister show up in what one wears to a funeral" She leans forward and inspects the earring I picked up talking to the glass blower. "Yeah, it's exactly that earring. Though this temple isn't the right place for most of that ceremony. Little Island changes slowly. I am not sure how much of putting on a proper wake for your Mother we can do without telling people who you are. But my help is yours."

>
>>
No. 573736 ID: a95b2e

>stuff about entropy
Oh, interesting. I don't think it's time to pry about that right now, though.

>Sunspot records destroyed
>midwifery books borrowed
Huh. I wonder if that pertains to your own birth, or your siblings. (Jasper isn't 80, but time doesn't necessarily move at the same right for gods and mortals, or in different places).

>I think you and your sister show up in what one wears to a funeral
>with that earring
...I don't understand what's being said there. Is she saying she's seen that the two of you will attend her funeral, dressed as you are? Or that there's an image or depiction of it somewhere? Or is that just an odd way of saying you're dressed appropriately?

>proper wake, tell people who you are.
I'm not afraid of letting people know who I am, when I should. But... announcing it to the world doesn't seem right, either. I'm still figuring out who I am. I don't want to have to be something else to people, yet.

Maybe something... smaller?

>But my help is yours.
Thank you.
>>
No. 573779 ID: f12e94

"It's worth wondering who doesn't know who I am. I'm not sure how I got to Fortitude after falling, and I got a letter from Entropy before I even knew what and where he was. The Kichi family in particular had been preparing for my arrival for years before I visited them for the first time I think. Anybody powerful or well-informed enough to know that keeping track of what seers say and do is a useful source of information would likely know from that, if nothing else.
"Can you think of any people I wouldn't want to know about my identity and location who don't already know at least as much as my attendance at a funeral would tell them? Dad knows, little sister Senko--Practical Teacher--knows, and I'm really not sure who there is left to keep it secret from."

>>573736
I can make educated guesses about some of these.

>(Jasper isn't 80, but time doesn't necessarily move at the same right for gods and mortals, or in different places).
Don't count on it. One of these days we're going to have to get her to look herself over in a mirror so that we know what we're dealing with better. Do keep in mind that most deities mature but never grow old except as a reflection of their self-image or if their power wanes and they are dying. Combine this notion with the fact that some human people look teenaged while in their thirties, or even older. Putting that together leads me to wonder if Jasper is actually a lot more than she thinks she is because being socially sheltered and overshadowed by her mother left her with an immature self-image.

>...I don't understand what's being said there. Is she saying she's seen that the two of you will attend her funeral, dressed as you are?
The light of the sun reveals, I suspect it was revealing in this case. You didn't think the Kichi were the only seers around, did you?

>[...] I'm still figuring out who I am. I don't want to have to be something else to people, yet.
We are Jasper Irinka the Sun reborn, daughter of Jade Irinka the former Sun, and one of the few forces powerful enough to kill the Sun. A seer spent most of her life preparing for us to stop by for a casual meet and greet introduction, sister Senko thinks us important enough to make plans of multiple years duration to influence us, and multiple diety-tier beings have invited us to be their pupil. We already are someone to a lot of people, they see our naked self in the sky every day and feel our warmth.
>>
No. 573793 ID: a95b2e

>deities age / self-image
>is Jasper sheltered / older than she thinks?
The question is kind of meaningless as you present it. If, as you assume, a god's age is defined by how they see themself, or their power or their experience, then Jasper is still a child. Since she clearly thinks like one, and is largely inexperienced with much of her full potential, and has much learning and growing to do.

You can't argue she'd be immature or behind either, since her level of maturity would be self defining and relative. It would be a completely internalized metric.

>You didn't think the Kichi were the only seers around, did you?
No, but we haven't had any prior information that indicated they did any of that here, and even if we accept the meaning as describing a vision, the wording is still odd. Which leaves me unsatisfied making that assumption.

>We are Jasper Irinka the Sun reborn [...]
...that's kind of literal response that doesn't really address what I'm trying to discuss here.

Jasper has a problem of identity. Yes, she has a lot of heritage, and many roles, and titles. Things outside her that define who she is. But within that general mold, there are still a lot of ways she can chose to grow, or define herself (what kind of god are we, how we fulfill our role, even what we decide our role or responsibilities may be, how we use our power, how our power and abilities and domain develop... etc etc).

We have some long term goals (mostly understanding and justice) but there's still a lot of room for interpretation and different ways to try and get there.

tl;dr- One of the things our mother's temple should be able to help us with is learning how to be what we are (and decide what that means). Addressing out own uncertainty is something that feels appropriate to me.

>loads of people know who we are, already.
>is there any advantage to keeping quiet?
There's a big difference to who and what we are being know to other power players, and to everyone. We can't avoid that fact that some people know, and that they have agendas, and we will have to deal with that.

But there are a lot of potential complications that could arise from elevating our status from an open secret to common knowledge.

More than that, though, I think there's a fundamental advantage to having some kind of normality in her life. Regular people she can interact with who don't regard her as a god to be feared, worshiped, exploited, asked favor of, etc. It could provide a grounding her growing up might otherwise lack, and a relief valve where she can be Jasper without having to bear the burden of being anything / anyone else.
>>
No. 573807 ID: f12e94

>>573793
Sorry for being indirect, but I was suggesting that Jasper use a moment, and take a discrete, sizable step towards growing up here. A normal part of growing up for socialized, intelligent beings is self-assertion. Accordingly, hanging in the sky everywhere, every day, is a pretty huge assertion on its own which we should really rationalize within our self-perception and risk-assessment better. Compared to that I'm not even sure what additional risks there are for her to attend her mother's funeral. I'm unconvinced that it's an overtly political statement since it's her mother's funeral. Is that really comparable to showing up at an embassy function, or making a grand entrance into a contested territory? I'm not sure, so therefore I propose we ask someone that *might* know about some of these risks, if they exist.

If it does turn out there are tangible risks besides having to possibly face little sister while she has not yet fully manifested that's a discussion to have on the basis of weighing the nature, probability and severity of those risks. Before we get there we also should also pass through one question whose answer should be obvious: Are we going to let anyone take your mother's funeral away from you, Jasper?
>>
No. 573810 ID: a95b2e

>>573807
Huh. We're talking at cross purposes, again. I'm thinking about setting up the conditions where she can grow up, you're worrying about stepping up now.

But if we're being direct, I'll put my concerns self-assertion as simply as we can:
* I think Jasper needs to learn a lot more about what it means to be the sun, and how to be a god, before she takes the step of walking around openly as both. (Ie, we're not prepared).
* I think it's an advantage for her to have the chance to grow up in an enviroment where everyone doesn't know. (It's healthy to have a somewhat 'normal' enviroment, and a good perspective for being of her power. Humility / grounding / understanding, etc).

>political risks
Not really what I was concerned about (or even think really might be a problem).

>Are we going to let anyone take your mother's funeral away from you, Jasper?
Not what I was arguing for, either. It'll happen, it's just a matter of when and how.
>>
No. 573813 ID: f12e94

>[...] I think it's an advantage for her to have the chance to grow up in an environment where everyone doesn't know. [...]

I guess I'm questioning the assumptions behind this:
-Is living like a human desirable training for being an imperator?
-Is trying to pretend to be humbly near-human even effectively possible?

It occurs to me that these are untested assumptions. I further assert that they seem awfully shaky when you realize that everybody already knows Jasper to some degree. We are an important part of the life of most, if not all, people. What's left to hide from whom besides the fact that we really need to get better at acting incognito?
If nothing else we need to show up at the funeral openly in case there's any question of the disposition of mother's remains: I'm pretty sure we don't want a mimic made out of her. I think this, by itself, may set our course here.
>>
No. 573854 ID: 257051

>Is living like a human desirable training for being an imperator?
Unknowable, or at least unknown. We have no way of knowing what's good for imperators in particular, or not (although future conversations with Entropy jr may be helpful, if we can separate out what information is skewed by his own perspective or agenda, or his father's).

I think it's much more useful to think in terms of what would be desirable for her as a person. Raising your princess well when she's been put in an ivory tower is considerably harder.

>Is trying to pretend to be humbly near-human even effectively possible?
To an extent, yes. Jasper's had reasonably normal interactionss of one kind or another with many people.

>I am not sure how much of putting on a proper wake for your Mother we can do without telling people who you are. But my help is yours.
I also think we may have missed a point she made, here. She never said we could not do something without telling people who we are. Just that it changes what we can do.

Also, it occurs to me that a full service may not be happening soon, if we're not supposed to meet Senko till we go to school in a few years, but we're both supposed to be there, at the funeral. (Unless we break one or more vision?).
>>
No. 574046 ID: f12e94

>>573854
>Also, it occurs to me that a full service may not be happening soon, if we're not supposed to meet Senko till we go to school in a few years, but we're both supposed to be there, at the funeral.[...]

That's easy, Senko apparently doesn't really exist or isn't manifest yet, so she only conditionally/partially shows up. Specific possibilities for this include being a projection, an apparition, and using some kind of an avatar. So therefore both can be true without this funeral being years in the future. This was a significant part of my perspective for recommending that we do attend mom's funeral openly (and soon).
>>
No. 574055 ID: 00b2db

You guys are being a little confusing..but I think you maybe want me to ask about the Funeral thing?
Anything else I should before going home..to Ashley's I mean.

>
>>
No. 574059 ID: 257051

>>574055
Sorry, kind of lost track of the moment there, for our own thing.

You could respond to her comment on the funeral that while you aren't sure you want everyone to know who who you, you aren't afraid to let people know when you should. And wouldn't the types of people who would show up to that kind of event mostly be people who already know, or in a position to know?

You could bring up the uncertainty of your own role, or you could leave that for another day. (We're kind of loaded down with heavy issues, piling on existential ones may not be best).

And a thank you of one kind or another would be appropriate. And if there's time enough before you leave, you could do some of the simple helping around the temple stuff like you did last time. You might find it calming or helpful after all the emotional stuff (and/or it might provide you time to think).
>>
No. 574211 ID: eed0a7

Sorry, we were spilling out into the probability space of what can happen depending on different possibilities for when, where, and how your mom's funeral proceeds and what your involvement--open or otherwise--in it is. We really do need more information on what she was even talking about though.
>>
No. 574232 ID: b43a87
File 139999578715.jpg - (9.11KB , 240x240 , gI_0_bookcover.jpg )
574232

"So uh, what do you mean when you say my sister and I show up? Like you had a vision or something?" Jasper asks, tasting a bit of cheese.

"Oh, no. Back when this temple was founded, generations ago, Our Lady gave us our rituals, to mark the seasons of our crops and our lives: to welcome newborns, to remember sins, to bind families, to thank the rain and the Sun, to bless new buildings, to punish transgressions, to mark sorrows. And each of those have their proper dress, and you are wearing one of the options for those close to the deceased at a funeral.

[Strike] I don't actually remember the differences among a funeral a wake etc, so am using them interchangeably. [/strike]

"Off white, with one earring of colors, long dress or pants, no gloves, lotus petals but no full blossoms or bulbs. Or off black, full gloves, geometric straight lines, hat or scarf, something on the face in silver or red, in a star or falling star motif.

"It's clear now, they represent you and your sister. She knew we could draw strength from each other's strength. You helping us, we helping you" she smiles slightly, almost but not teasing, instead it seems to say "I will help."
>>
No. 574247 ID: d244d8

Huh. So you instinctively took on a dress of mourning, or she defined them so they would suit you. (Foreknowledge gets kind of funny).

Still, it feels kind of right that you took a step towards acknowledging or dealing with your grief, even if you did so unintentionally.

>I don't actually remember the differences among a funeral a wake etc
A funeral is a formal ceremony, usually with someone officiating, individuals speaking in turn to an audience, that kind of thing. The wake is usually... less formal. More of a gathering than a presentation. Food, people talking together, remembering. Of course there are different practices in different cultures and faiths, and I have no idea how precisely either ceremony would be handled in Jade Irinka's sun-temple religion, much less how a ceremony for a god (their god) would differ. (Although part of me thinks it would be appropriate not to treat her death as any different from that of any other mother).

>I will help
Thank you.

I don't really have any more questions that feel right for you to ask, in the moment. As for what we do before heading back to Ashley's, I think the last paragraph of this >>574059 still holds (unless Mother McCormick brings up anything else).
>>
No. 574286 ID: eed0a7

"That's interesting and helpful, thank you. I'm still not entirely sure how to handle a service for mother though, or where her remains currently are. It's probably something I should talk to heaven about, but if you've got more advice I could use it."

And yes, just hanging out in mom's temple and being busy should be good for helping to settle your raw emotions and for connecting with your mother's past.
>>
No. 574539 ID: b43a87
File 140016943715.jpg - (101.14KB , 1432x892 , RelaxingSunsetLake.jpg )
574539

She nods and accepts my thanks with a " It's why I'm here."

It doesn't take long for Mother McCormick to finish her lunch, and start continuing her daily maintenance of the temple. It's a lot of work for one person, and it feels like we are only three quarters done when she notes that I better get
going if I want to catch the ferry.

It feels good to help out at the temple. Like Mom approves. Even though my arms hurt and I didn't do everything right. (I kind of lit the paint thinner on fire because I wanted to see what it tasted like. I should really stop doing that.)

I could have spent the ferry ride thinking about things, but I didn't. Instead I just kind of soaked in the smells and sights, listening to the gulls.

The sun slowly sets over the horizon, and Jasper's eyes set with it, the gentle rocking of the boat carrying her to sleep.
>>
No. 574556 ID: 9a281a

>could have spent the time thinking, but I didn't
It's alright, there's no need to figure all of everything out in one go.

Goodnight, Jasper.
>>
No. 574626 ID: eed0a7

Hold up, we've gotta get home, and then we might be getting a visit from our most devoted follower when we get there.
>>
No. 574630 ID: 88960e

>>574626
We'll get home. And I'm pretty sure our seer won't show up on a night when we're already worn out and asleep. An advantage or seer-ing.
>>
No. 574732 ID: 00b2db
File 140027830707.jpg - (5.63KB , 320x158 , elipsis.jpg )
574732

Saturday I sleep in a bit, and hang out around the house at Ashley's, cleaning and helping out with laundry and cutting up fish.

Not much really happened, though I did practice my Meditation a bit.

At least not much happened during the day.

The night was another story.

>
>>
No. 574749 ID: 9a281a

Saturday? Ah, tonight's the night you were going to go to the Kichi for dinner.

Correct attitude to bring, I think, is polite respect and earnest honesty. Even in the face of possible anger or hostility. They're her family, and it's only natural they be upset about the risk you pose to her, and what you're taking from them, even unintentionally. All we can give in return is our understanding, and our best to improve the situation.
>>
No. 574801 ID: 31f165

I expect an awful lot of fear actually, the gods aren't supposed to come to supper and take their daughter away. If that's the case I'd normally expect the best course is trying to be disarmingly charming, earnest, and to make some non-threatening jokes if you can.
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