monochrome_mirror (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
monochrome_mirror) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
poly_chromatic2013-06-03 12:21 pm
monochrome_mirror) wrote in poly_chromatic2013-06-03 12:21 pm
Entry tags:
sixth reflection; uprising?
City, I implore you to think before you act.
Yes, the deities here have caused a number of problems, and their actions are inexcusable. Were we all in Gensokyo, I would tell you that they too would see their eternal fate sealed someday...but we are not, and I cannot. We are all of equal status here, though some be strong and some be weak, and we must all pull together to support this shambling society. Even so...I am seeing traces of revolution breeding here, as are all of you. I know that this brings many of you hope, and that many will stake their very lives on it. I have seen this all before.
Even as a god, I cannot assure you that all will be well. I cannot tell you that our cruel masters will be punished for their actions. I cannot tell you that your revolution will succeed, or that fate is on your side, or that karma exists, or that good always wins. I cannot give you a storybook ending, and I cannot tell you how to win whatever battle you may be planning. I cannot even say that it will not snow tomorrow, let alone that justice means anything in this place, with the authorities that exist here.
What I can tell you, is that if you have any hope of success whatsoever, you will not rush into this blindly.
Deities, it is your move. The City is restless, and if you continue to turn a blind eye to its needs, you will reap the rewards. Even if you were to cleanse the City and begin again...well, history repeats itself, yes?
City, hold strong to your ideals, and take care that whatever you may be supporting is not worse that the current situation. Take caution, and understand that repeating past patterns is no way to achieve victory in a place where your lives can be snuffed with a snap of unseen fingers.
For now, I will remain outside this conflict. Even so, justice may be blind, but it is not bound: I will take whatever actions will improve and reinforce the City's good standing, moral nature, and capability.
Yes, the deities here have caused a number of problems, and their actions are inexcusable. Were we all in Gensokyo, I would tell you that they too would see their eternal fate sealed someday...but we are not, and I cannot. We are all of equal status here, though some be strong and some be weak, and we must all pull together to support this shambling society. Even so...I am seeing traces of revolution breeding here, as are all of you. I know that this brings many of you hope, and that many will stake their very lives on it. I have seen this all before.
Even as a god, I cannot assure you that all will be well. I cannot tell you that our cruel masters will be punished for their actions. I cannot tell you that your revolution will succeed, or that fate is on your side, or that karma exists, or that good always wins. I cannot give you a storybook ending, and I cannot tell you how to win whatever battle you may be planning. I cannot even say that it will not snow tomorrow, let alone that justice means anything in this place, with the authorities that exist here.
What I can tell you, is that if you have any hope of success whatsoever, you will not rush into this blindly.
Deities, it is your move. The City is restless, and if you continue to turn a blind eye to its needs, you will reap the rewards. Even if you were to cleanse the City and begin again...well, history repeats itself, yes?
City, hold strong to your ideals, and take care that whatever you may be supporting is not worse that the current situation. Take caution, and understand that repeating past patterns is no way to achieve victory in a place where your lives can be snuffed with a snap of unseen fingers.
For now, I will remain outside this conflict. Even so, justice may be blind, but it is not bound: I will take whatever actions will improve and reinforce the City's good standing, moral nature, and capability.
no subject
Anything you do to improve the City's moral nature and capability, all right, we appreciate that. But, please, we need all the help we can get.
no subject
Do you seek to shoulder the burdens of this city alone, Shiki-sama? I remembered the -sama! [HE LOOKS SO PROUD OF HIMSELF]
no subject
...Hmm. I suppose...do I look for it? Not particularly, but in my world I work alone, and I do not have others whom I consider friends. Here, having social contact past the shallowest of levels is...so alien to me, and so I often go back to my old ways.
I should learn to adapt more quickly. Perhaps here there is strength in numbers, even for me.
no subject
Certainly, the numbers are important, and they do provide strength, there's no doubt about that. But camaraderie is important, too. Knowing that when you face down an enemy, there will always be someone at your back who understands how you operatee and can come to your aid if you should need it. Knowing that you'll never want for people to cry with, to laugh with, to bolster your spirits and keep you moving forward...
Yes, Shiki-sama, you should learn to adapt.
no subject
Here, though, it is not the same. I am in the end no stronger than any others here, just different, now.
[She leans her head to the side, reflecting. Someone to support her...has she ever thought of that? A faint rueful smile plays at her lips.]
I cannot remember the last time I cried. Certainly there was no one there, if I did. I usually keep my mind meditative and level; I suppose I have never seen reason to cry.
...Usually, at least.
But here, the City seems to insist that I know others...and I do not know how to do so.
[She closes her eyes for a moment, and lightly bows her head.]
How to do so, for someone like me?
no subject
There's only one thing for it. I'll just have to start teaching you.
no subject
Ah...
[And now looks a little more somber than before. The last time she tried this, Nobori immediately vanished from the City, meaning, does this have any importance? When others are so fleeting, why spend so much time? Is that what is right to do? Is that what she needs to be doing here?
She puts that aside.]
I am willing to learn.
no subject
You must also be willing to trust me. But I don't have an untrustworthy bone in my body, so I doubt this will be difficult!
[ooc; replying here, because I don't know when I'll be able to get to his intro post tags! but awww thank you, you're fun as well!!! i usually hang around on plurk @ ashooree. haven't used messengers in years because i hate them, orz]
no subject
[ooc: Darn. Everyone's on plurk, but it looks like ass in my work browser and I can't actually make it do things right. We have a hella firewall and all sorts of browser security nonsense going on.
I'll stick to personals in Dreamwidth then.]
[Video]
[There's too much talking going on and she can't makes heads or tails of this morality gobbledygook!]
[Video]
[Video]
Hey, wait! Nobody shaid anything about a war!
Is thish a joke?!
Re: [Video]
Revolutions are bloody, nasty things. They are too chaotic for honorable battle, and they tend to kill many on both sides and injure more. I honestly wouldn't call them legitimate wars, as wars tend to be more structured.
I hope the worst is just an extreme prediction and does not actually happen...but we must be prepared if it does.
[Video]
But... aren't revolutions the only way to get jushtiche, shometimes?
[Video]
Pinoko-san, calm down. If you want legitimate armor, I am sure someone can provide it, but you will not be on any sort of front lines if anyone is being at all reasonable about this.
[And now the serious question.]
...Yes. Yes, sometimes they are. And now may be the time. But there is a proper way to go about revolution, and I worry that the City may not do so. Anytime mass conflict must arise, much care must be taken to approach it not from a position of hatred, but from one of justice. The City is becoming filled with blind rage, and this will destroy the rebels before they can collect their thoughts and strategize properly.
I fear they will charge blindly, harming themselves, those around them, and only scratching their enemies.
[Video]
... but, isn't it natural for people to get all worked up over things like thish?
Musht be why people get hurt sho often.
Re: [Video]
And yes, that is why they get hurt so often, among other reasons.
I know it isn't easy to push past fear, but you are so valuable to us in these times...you must step up if the City needs you.
no subject
Who are the two sides, and what outcome are you hoping for?
no subject
From an initial observation, it seems to be a fringe group of citizens, possibly with hidden support from more powerful beings, vs. the City's deities.
Citizens here are sometimes magically capable, often technologically capable, but the deities have near-absolute power over the locals here. We can be puppeteered about like dolls; I see no reason why revolution will ever succeed unless the fringe group has something hidden so far up its sleeve that none of us know yet.
You are new -- welcome, although you have come at a chaotic time. Then again, when isn't a chaotic time here...I suppose it is simply more so than usual.
Have you been debriefed on the City's powers and abilities?
no subject
I think it's just a change of scenery for me, heh heh. Wouldn't it be nice to live a quiet life?
The City's powers and abilities? It sounds like it's a living thing - but no, I haven't. Would you be kind enough to tell someone as useless as me what's up with the City?
no subject
Hope is not enough. The gods here do not care about hope, and they are ruthless and cruel.
Life in the City is not quiet. The gods insist upon cursing citizens on a routine basis with any number of magical effects. If one of these happens to you, stay calm and wait it out, or take what defensive measures you need to; the curses range from harmless to lethal, but they only last a day or two, and often you can hole up and wait for them to end. They can be anything from strange minor behaviors to outright possession or the environment becoming strange or hostile; we so far have seen no limits to this ability.
I doubt you are useless. Where are you from? Are you competent with magic or technology or social leadership? Even if not, can you encourage others and help them through difficult times in such a strange place?
no subject
It sounds like I'll have to be careful, then! It sounds like it's an outright mess over here! [He's used to people/a certain headmaster bear experimenting on them, though, so he's less astonished than he should be.]
I'm not competent at anything, except maybe good luck. I'm an average high school student, but I've got luck on my side.
Hope will never be not enough. So long as there is hope, anyone can surmount anything - and if everyone has hope, then they can find the strength to overthrow these deities for sure.
If I can be good at anything, I want to be good at rallying hope.
no subject
Then be so! See, you are not so useless. What is your name?
no subject
That's the only way that I'll maybe be of use to someone. As long as I can be a stepping stone for them to reach their ultimate hope, I will do what I can.
Oh yeah, I should introduce myself! I'm Komaeda Nagito. It's nice to meet you, miss. Please treat me well.
What do you hope for?
no subject
no subject
What's your name, miss?
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
In fact -- my name is technically Shiki Eiki, and Yamaxanadu is my title. It became a sort of...full formal name, in a way, once I reached my current position.
no subject
Oh, I see. So when I say Shikieiki-san, I'm actually saying your whole name. That's cute!
What does Yamaxanadu mean, though?
no subject
Yamaxanadu is my position name, roughly meaning "Yama of Paradise." A Yama is a god of spiritual judgment -- that is what I am. There are ten of us that govern all of Earth's souls, divided into regions, and assign them to their respective afterlives when their bodies die. ...Well, the ten of us and our immense infrastructure of subordinates.
no subject
no subject
I suppose it is uplifting to think that death is not the end of life, just a transition from an embodied to a spiritual existence.
no subject
no subject
I prefer to do all I can to avoid sending spirits to Hell. Hell does not exist to punish sinners; it exists so that no one would sin.
The Netherworld is calm but not idyllic. It is...sort of a neutral place, where spirits rest. Heaven is what you might expect, as is Hell.
no subject
I guess a resting place doesn't sound so bad either.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I would not stand for such a rampant and random chaos here, but until we know who is actually behind these efforts, we can do little. They are cryptic on the Network, and I have yet to meet any of them in person. They seem to be intent on using most citizens as pawns, whipping them into a frenzy and then hiding behind the resulting shield.
Cowardly tactics, to say the least. I wish they would tell us anything. And if I could be within line of sight of one of them, that would be enough to tell us anything we wanted to know...but I've yet to see anyone putting up flyers or graffiti or any such. And I am up late every night out on the streets.
no subject