[WORLD ONE | POST-UVI CELEBRATION]

[spellbindmods]

Who: Coven members and Palai
Where: In and around the Aimintas marketplace
When: Day 39
Open/Closed: Open to All

After an appropriate amount of time for mourning, the Palai have shifted into a more positive mood -- they're a very resilient species, though there is a bit of a muted tone to their celebration. The whole event is a little hodge-podge, mostly because they aren't used to having to celebrate with the coven members added to the guest list. The Palai have gathered together all of their people and have invited the coven members to a small, intimate gathering -- the purpose of the event is to thank them for their service in fighting the Uvi, and the success of freezing the Uvi in their home. While no one knows how long the Uvi will stay gone, any amount of time without the Uvi being a concern is fine by them. The event takes place in the very center of the marketplace, with the Palai interacting on the fringes of the party throughout the rest of the large building. The coven members have time to spend by themselves, but there's room for moving around on their own and also spending time with the Palai if they so choose. A ▢ One of the more noticeable editions to the food the Palai have provided is a large pile of sweet, sugar dusted pastries. You may notice that something about them seems...odd, to say the least. It looks as if the pastries are vibrating slightly, but they smell divine. If you're so inclined to ask what the deal is, these pastries are magically infused by Eltos, which somehow gives them a sweeter flavor and enhances the sensation of tastebuds. The Palai sometimes eat these before meals in order to better the flavor of their entire spread -- though adding this energized magic to an already magical being means magic powers may be a little off kilter. Don't be surprised if suddenly your abilities go a little crazy. B ▢ The Palai aren't participating the party for two big reasons. One, the purpose is to celebrate the victory of coven members. The other reason, however, is one that may be more interesting to outsiders. While previously the Palai were peaceful people, happy to exist submitting to the Uvi, the coven's show of strength and valor has inspired them to be more aggressive in their approaches. Grown Palai can be seen working on makeshift weapons, but the idea of smaller tools like slingshots have already been constructed and almost perfected. The Palai youth have discovered these tools and are playing with them gleefully, though occasionally hitting each other -- and potentially you -- with energized, paralyzing rocks fueled with Elto energy. Watch out or you might get zapped! C ▢ Other Palai youth aren't as fortunate to be so distracted and happy. While fewer Palai died during this attack, the casualty number wasn't zero. Most Palai children still have at least one family member to care for them, but they're still a little disconnected from their people by means of grief. Some are milling about with the coven members, trying to eat or pester them for attention. If you're good with kids this may be more your speed, but those bad with children can find this irritating. Some Palai youth are more muted, however, content to just sit and listen to stories or eavesdrop on conversations. D ▢ For some people, rain isn't that big an issue -- but it certainly puts a damper (get it?) on a party. The Palai seem a bit confused by the sudden shower that comes in heavy as the evening dies down. The Palai have never experienced rain before, using irrigation systems and existing ground water as their means of hydration (both for themselves and for plants). Because the rain is coming from the ocean, the drops are large and salty, and the marketplace quickly begins to flood. The Palai move the party indoors for the most part, but that doesn't mean you or the food aren't already soaked. It's much warming underneath the roofs in the marketplace, but that doesn't provide much relief since the ocean rain is warm and humid. E ▢ Wildcard! How will your character handle this violent and volatile situation.

Comments

[splinten]

[It's fair, but Dirk has a bad habit of pushing. And Odin tossed a dragon into the sea.]

What do you think of it now?

[rootandbranch]

[Geir looks at him sidelong, not avoiding the question, but not quite sure how to answer it either. the times before he had a reason to defy his destiny and after are such different periods of his life that he's not really sure how to compare them.]

. . . it wasn't bad till I met Vern. If he did it now I wouldn't want it. But back then, what else would I have done? Sleeping in the sea was something to do till I got big enough to do what I was supposed to.

[splinten]

[Dirk listens, and he thinks he understands.]

It kind of sounds like something you're struggling with here is developing your own personhood outside of your function relative to the general world-cycle. Who you are, who you want to be, learning your likes and dislikes. Sort of a self-forming experience.

[rootandbranch]

Yeah! Yeah, that's it!

[HE'S RELIEVED THAT SOMEONE GETS IT]

Could you write that down or something so I can show it to people if they ask? That sounded really smart and I'm not going to remember what you said exactly.

[splinten]

[He. Did not expect that reaction. Geir has a magic power to throw Dirk so easily.]

Uh, sure, if you wanted. No problem.

[rootandbranch]

Thanks. It's a pain. I can never think of how to say things!

[Geir huffs, distracted for a moment, then returns to the topic.]

Yeah, though. Also, being-- personhood--? well, it's... kind of hard? I guess everyone else is used to it. Or maybe I'm just not good at it! But I wasn't ever trying before, so how do I answer questions like that? And now I am, but no one tells you how.

So that's why I don't know if I mind getting thrown in the ocean or not.

[splinten]

Some people are really good at personhood. Others find it difficult. I count myself among the second group.

[Peopleing is hard, and Dirk doesn't judge Geir for having trouble with it. He judges himself! But not Geir.]

Most people tend to learn how to exist through experience, and that generally is reliant on socialization. Your case is different, in that it doesn't sound to me as if socialization was ever really much of a thing for you.

[rootandbranch]

Not except with the other gods. And I think we must do things differently. Vern makes a lot of faces when I talk about them, anyway.

[much as Dirk just reacted to Odin throwing him in the ocean. it is probably not hard for others to see Vern's point of view, here]

Is that why you're bad at it, too? You said you only talked to three other people.

[splinten]

From the stories we have about Gods, you probably do.

[GODDAMMIT GEIR. Why are you doing this to him. He needs a half-second to regroup.]

That's probably one reason. It's one I've definitely considered. In my opinion, it doesn't fully account for how completely incapable I am. There's something just fundamentally broken with my essence of being, as far as I can tell.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir snorts.]

Oh, come on. If all I was ever born for was to kill everything else and everyone keeps telling me I can try anyway, what's your damage supposed to be?

[splinten]

[DON'T YOU MOCK HIS TEENAGED EXISTENTIAL ANGST

Dirk nudges him! Revenge.]

There are different kinds of damage, dude. You're clearly capable of being more than what you were designed for. Some people are just incapable, like literally physically incapable, of being certain ways. Some people can't feel empathy for others, or experience any emotions at all. Or they can get the idea of morality abstractly but they can't genuinely conceptualize it. Others feel things but they do it in the wrong way.

That's a flaw in their souls, or their brain chemistry or whatever. Your main flaw is being born to a shitty job description.

[rootandbranch]

Hmph! I don't know if you're right about that.

[Geir nudges him back!!!!!! RETURN OF THE REVENGE? this is an extremely serious existential conversation.]

Either way, why would having something broken make you less of a person? As far as I can tell, you can either be a person or an-- um, thing? Um... a weapon. Or a tool. Breaking only makes you useless if you're that.

People don't have to do, they just have to be. And figure out what they're being. Right? So what does feeling wrong even have to do with it?

[Odin's balls, he hopes he's understanding this correctly. if he has to deal with the pressure of not only having feelings but figuring out if they're the right ones, he's going to fall over.]

[splinten]

[Dirk makes a disgruntled noise because Geir is better at nudging. He has the dragon advantage.]

It matters because you hurt people. You fuck up. And since you're fucked up in your very goddamned essence of being, you'll never be able to stop fucking up except by completely opting out.

But you aren't like that, dude. You're capable of learning, changing, and growing. You have potential.

[rootandbranch]

[is that the first non-deadpan reaction Dirk has given today? truly this has become intense.]

You don't know that either. Maybe I'll try and find out I shouldn't have tried. Or it's too hard for me. You don't know that. I don't know that.

[splinten]

[This is Very intense as they sit curled up in a dragon in the rain.]

Of course I do. I've met you. You've been learning and growing in the span of our few conversations.

[rootandbranch]

[a dragon fort is the superior way to hide out from the elements. waterproof, warm, questions the philosophical basis of your own self-loathing.]

Yeah, well, if I end up hurting Vern, I'm gonna regret it really quick, won't I!

[splinten]

Regret doesn't make you not a person. It doesn't even make you bad at being a person.

[rootandbranch]

What.

Freyja's jewels, you just said the opposite of that.

[splinten]

[Today, A Good Dragon Learns About Chronic Depression]

It isn't the regret part, it's being hopeless.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir goes completely silent for at least two full minutes, eyes slitted, keen memory poring over every aspect of their conversation so far. finally he ventures a summary:]

So what you're saying is, if you're a broken person, you can doubt that you're a real one, 'cause you have no hope that you'll do anything but "keep hurting people" even if you regret it. But just hurting people and regretting it doesn't count you out, as long as there's still hope you can improve.

That's still sheep's piss, Dirk. Doesn't that assume that the point of being a person is to not hurt people? I know that's not true.

[splinten]

Maybe it ain't the point, but if you're like that then you're just some heartless motherfucker and everyone would be better off if I just didn't exist.

[




Whoops, pronouns.]

[rootandbranch]

Mmmh, I guess I get what you're saying now, but it sounds like you're wrong? You seem like a nice person, and you keep talking about how you feel bad about whatever you did, and you're not even that old for a human. It'll probably be okay.

[this pronouncement isn't delivered in a rousing protagonist speech or with the hush of someone who TRULY KNOWS DIRK'S EVIL NOW, just with the same air of friendly, pragmatic interest as Geir's tone for most of the rest of this conversation. he is talking philosophy and opining an opinion. isn't that what they're doing?]

You're just not the kind of person you want to be yet. Geez, I guess on top of working to be a person, you have figure out what you want to do with that, too. And then how to do it... this is a pain!

[splinten]

[Dirk stares at him for a moment.

And then he puts his face in his hands.]

Yes. Yes, Geir. It's definitely a pain.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir noses at him with friendly concern. that's rough, buddy.]

Oh, well. If we have to do it, at least everyone else does too.

[splinten]

[Geir is Impossible.]

That isn't exactly what I'd term standard fare optimism.