spellbinders | [JANUARY INTRO LOG

[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

Who: All coven members, especially new folk!
Where: In and around the new world’s apartment building where the coven is staying, as well as the rest of Shehui
When: Day 160
Open/Closed: Open to All
IMPORTANT: While some prompts are newbie exclusive, all characters can tag this intro log!

How did you get into this building? This apartment room? What the fuck is going on? Let's refer back to this page for a semi in-depth, wow so detailed, explanation of your current situation. You'll also have a letter slipped under your door with some explanation about your whole coven situation, as well as info that explains you have magic now! And yet what kind of magic is conveniently left out.

Are you up to speed? Great.

Now, here's the question of the hour: what are you going to do about all this?

your flower will be decided

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ he's not really sure what to make of that question. sure, there are monsters—and most of his experiences with fighting things larger than himself are with monsters—but that's not what he'd call a war. ]

I would consider the definition of a war to be between people. [ if he wants to be technical ... ] At the moment, 'my' people are engaged in war with 'my' people.

[ he belongs to both factions, and to neither. funny how that works out. ]

Edited (grammar is rough) 2018-01-21 05:31 (UTC)

[ Ah, a civil war. That... is something rare in his world, for the simple reason that there aren't enough people left to fight one. ]

I'm sorry. I hope it resolves soon.

[ - is what he says after a pause, eyes closing briefly. ]

[ he has no reason to expect time has halted for his classmates any more than it hasn't halted for him, so, with another carefully even tone: ]

Thank you. With any luck, it should be coming to a close soon.

[ no anxiety over that here. no, sir. instead, a deflection. ]

Why did you ask?

[ With luck, he says. Yet in his heart Julius feels that Jusis would never submit to wishful thinking; that it is only a painted facade.

Not that he can't say the him for himself, either. ]

I... was merely curious. [ Though it's said a little awkwardly, which he supposes he has to elaborate: ] In my world, we mostly fought beasts.

[ he needs all the luck in the world to think his classmates wouldn't lose their minds at his sudden disappearance and risk derailing their planning.

he folds his arms and scoffs—at his own situation more than anything else. he doesn't have the context to realize it's hard to war against people if there's only so many of them left. ]

I wish I could say the same. There's no shortage of people who will sacrifice others for their own gain in the Empire, and no shortage of enemies outside of it. [ it doesn't help at least two of those people stand at the top of the chain of command, though he's not quite aware how deep that goes. ]

The monsters are never-ending, but one expects a beast to prey upon humans. They can be identified at a glance and defended against. A man who does the same will hide his intentions until the damage has been done.

[ jusis does make some attempt to sound as impartial and above-it-all as he usually does, but it's impossible to mask all of the—condemnation? betrayal? just plain anger? in those words. he is kind of envious of a society where humans aren't trying to destroy each other, but he realizes for julius, even warring against beasts might be hard to deal with. ]

... Still, both are horrific. My condolences.

[ Jusis cites an Empire, the word's significance implying a world still with people. It's not something that can be afforded in his own world. ]

There are people with malicious intent in every world, I would think. What's more important is that there be people who will fight back against them. [ Even in a ruined world, there would be manipulators. He's living proof of this fact. ] They give us hope to last and correct the harm that was done.

[ His voice is quiet but firm in its belief. ]

[ is there anything julius isn't prepared to handle with ease and grace?

jusis is still disgruntled, but it's a nice sentiment—a true one, too, even if it sounds a couple of embellishments away from one of rean's motivational speeches. with similar resolve: ]

True enough. That so many of them happen to be in a position to cause needless bloodshed is all the more reason we must enact change. [ there's a saying about becoming the foundation of an era ... he's thinking specifically about the empire and its inhabitants, but it works just as well as a blanket statement. ]

Just what kind of world do you come from?

[ that ... is a blunt and unspecific question, but the environment that julius grew up in sounds kind of unreal. ]

[ There is something. There definitely is something, as they will find out later on in the month ]

Not a world I would wish upon any other soul.

[ The words slip out before he can stop them, resulting in a frown on his features once he realizes what exactly he has said. Now that he's already left something blatantly unsaid, he supposes that he should make up for it. Being around Okuni teaches you about the merits of being honest. ]

Decades ago, great beasts appeared and began rampaging through the land. We retreated to bases from which we could repel them and live without fear of being eaten. The military is focused on the defense of our homes, first and foremost.

[ This is a terribly watered down version but it'll do. It Will Do. ]

[ they have measures for every day monsters in zemuria, and larger monsters are usually taken down by request through bracers or military (or class vii, which is somewhere in between). the concept of being pushed out of regular cities and into bases makes sense if they were unprepared for the onslaught, but is unnerving nonetheless. if cryptids were more common than they are, maybe ... ]

... In that case, I suppose an international conflict is the least of one's worries. I imagine such an event put most power struggles to rest.

[ if it was erebonia, someone would probably find a way. someone would probably use it as an excuse, actually, but erebonia is ... unique. ]

[ Unity, or destruction. That was how the apocalypse imposed itself, sadly. ]

I can't say there are no power struggles in my world, but they are small enough to not have debilitating effects. [ Jusis seems satisfied by the explanation, which is a plus. ] We had records for when the world had more people. Large-scale wars were considered things of the past.

[ A pause, before he adds: ]

I don't believe the situation of my world is sorely in the negative. With time, a permanent solution will be found.

[ he doesn't always pick his battles, but when he does, it usually involves not opening potentially traumatic lines of conversation ... any more than he already has, at least.

he feels he shouldn't be impressed anymore that julius has an optimistic outlook on the situation, even moments after calling it a world he wouldn't wish on anyone. maybe that's how they survive. ]

As long as you can perservere, I think that's true as well. [ there are a lot of powerful, terrible weapons he can think of that would reduce most any monster threat to dust. he doesn't really want to boast about it, considering their more immediate uses, but he thinks about them. he shuts his eyes for a moment, considering his wording. ] If I've learned anything from my time at the academy, it's that humans are frighteningly capable.

[ for better and for worse. but he's trying to be encouraging at the moment. ]

Perhaps you'll learn something of use from all of this culture exchange.

[ It is true, though. Without hope, any desperate situation will crumble. There must be hope, there must always be hope. ]

I'm sure I will. I've found there's a whole other world outside of work.

[ Said with an apologetic smile - still self-deprecatory, but as a much safer topic this time. ]

[ he returns a small, cordial smile. ]

I can imagine. [ not having to worry about being eaten—or about civilians being eaten—must be a great burden off his back. ] Frankly, I half-expected you to be the sort to focus on his work exclusively, so I'm relieved to hear it.

[ he says, as though he isn't just as liable to work too hard as the rest of the people he runs with. ]

[ Back home, everyone respected how much work he could take on, which led to them simply leaving him to his own devices... and look where they got him. ]

I would have, if there was still work. The people I've gotten to know here have insisted on making me take breaks.

[ Pot and kettle, the both of them. ]

What do you do for leisure?

[ jusis would consider himself adept at giving advice he doesn't always follow, or he would if he publicly admitted his flaws to anyone. ]

It sounds like you have good friends. Overworking yourself is a surefire way to make mistakes or end up ill. [ friends don't let friends run themselves into the ground, even if it's well-meaning. ]

Personally, I'm fond of horseback riding, though as a ... [ noble. as a noble, he is familiar with all manners of leisure activities, because nobles love small talk over tea, or billiards, or whatever. that title means less and little here. ] student, I frequently found myself in the library.

[ really, though, he can do anything as a pastime. their airship has a pool table and rean regularly makes him play card games with him. ]

[ Julius has to pause and remember what horseback riding entailed - it's something mentioned in the Archives for sure, but such things felt distant from the reality that had set in in his world. Animals were all gone as a result of being killed by the Aragami.

So in a way, it's privilege. But he wouldn't spite Jusis for having such things; it was merely how the world worked. ]

Reading is good nourishment for the mind, I've found. [ Quiet, but somewhat earnest agreement: ] I used to read too, when I had the time. There's much to be learned from recorded knowledge.

[ - yeah, it's still work. But it's more relaxing work than beating up monsters. ]

[ if jusis knew that julius didn't have horses, he would consider him robbed.

and if he knew that julius counts reading as work in this case, he would chide him. that's not a real leisure activity. even without hearing the admission directly, that ... is such a stuffy descriptor for books. he laughs a little. ]

'Recorded knowledge'? [ curiously: ] And what are your thoughts on fiction?

[ jusis has been known to enjoy fairy tales. ]

[ Ah. He had once been aware that his world's information was recorded differently from that of others'; this is somewhat a reminder. ]

People wrote down what they learned about their fields of expertise. I enjoyed reading about nature.

[ what's fiction --- ]

When I was younger, reading fiction was commonly accepted. I'd wish I had more time for it nowadays...

[ this is sounding more and more like research rather than reading for fun and enjoyment. ]

When you said you enjoyed reading, I assumed you meant outside of studying. [ he probably shouldn't have, though. ] If you find the time, I think folklore is interesting.

[ Jusis will soon come to realize that Julius' definition of studying is different from his... ]

I did read that outside of work, if that's what you meant. [ It's for fun, really! ] Folklore would be, though I don't think I've seen a lot of volumes on it. I would have to look for them in the future.

[ That's half a lie though, as he's resigned himself to never go back. ]

[ it's not impossible for something to be both fun and practical, but he can't be sure ... ! ]

What aspect of non-fiction books on nature interests you, anyway? Gardening? Animal husbandry?

[ wind patterns? nature is a broad topic. ]

[ Or maybe it's just that Julius is a loser and genuinely loves some part of his work. Maybe. ]

Gardening, yes. There was a small garden where I work, I wanted to learn how to take care of it. [ A pause, before he remembers something else: ] I've also read that forests and different types of biomes exist. Work prevents me from seeing them in person, so reading makes up for it in some ways.

[ This may or may not be linked to the eventuality that he became the Singularity vessel. It's weird. ]

[ that's ... surprisingly tender. wanting to take care of a garden and read about places one can never see due to the ravenous beasts outside of the walls ... ]

When you find your permanent solution, I hope you get the opportunity to travel. [ things like seeing the nord highlands changed his life. ] I've found books don't do the world justice.

[ The earth is beautiful, that much is true. It's a sentiment that he ascribes to, after seeing pictures and logs in the Archives. While he did travel with his unit, most of what he saw had been ruins that were reclaimed by nature.

A shame, then, that the planet decided humans were no longer needed. ]

I've been told. [ A small smile touches his subdued expression. ] In a way, being here is a type of traveling. That makes up for it a little.

I suppose that's true enough. [ it's a much better perspective on being trapped in a high-tech city than it could be. ] This city hardly qualifies for a marvel of nature, but learning about the way others live is important in its own right.

[ honestly, if he considers this an extended field study, it's ... a little less dreadful. he would still have to factor in all of his missing classmates, but the premise is acceptable. ]

[JANUARY INTRO LOG | WORLD TWO]

if she really gets on his nerves julius will be the first person to know

i await :3c

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