In a sense. I'd like to see if there are new ideas I can glean, that may be beneficial to the Xianzhou. While we're not lacking in technology and innovation, there are still plenty of hurdles for my people to overcome.
...That, and I'm also just curious to see what other worlds are like.
[ nerd... but he nods at the book in mary's hands. ]
Shall I guess again? [ guesses again unprompted. ] A riveting romance, with a convoluted love triangle.
[ difficult to tell whether he is joking or not. ]
[ i mean, he is a nerd, but so is she, so she looks pensive ]
Magic is mostly innate to certain people in my world, though certain rituals can be used no matter your species. I was once witness to a ritual to bring back a man from where his soul had been punished to suffer for all eternity. [ a pause ] Quite different from hell--he'd been cursed for his actions in life by one of his victims.
[ anyway, the way her mood PLUMMETS at that guess and she looks so insulted ]
[ sorry, he really couldn't help but tease... he offers her another piece of candy (sour), as a peace offering. it might even be poisoned this time! (it is not.) (but he does carry around treats now for her as an ongoing trust exercise. or dare.) ]
My apologies. Will you enlighten me?
[ asked genuinely!!! but backtracking a bit, ]
...Interesting. That does sound quite dangerous though, if anyone is able to perform a ritual. Or would it require special training? You mentioned you had to center yourself to perform one, for example.
[ here comes the yap ]
In my world, there can be certain magic inherent to a species, but also a broader range of elemental abilities that can be harnessed a bit more widely. My specialty is lightning, for example. [ there is also yet another subset of 'Paths' that influence abilities, but that is... very confusing to explain... ]
...Moreso than rituals, I would say the people of my home are more likely to stumble across an errant heliobi—cognizant entities made of pure energy, that are commonly mistaken for ghosts. They can recreate the memories of the living to take on forms of the deceased, but they are not actually the deceased themselves.
[ reluctantly accepts candy. this isn't even black licorice, like her soul. tch. she doesn't answer the book thing because frankly the magic talk is a lot more interesting but she'll show him the title; it's just frankenstein. ]
No, not everyone would have the capacity to perform that ritual, seeing as most people don't have the stomach to become serial killers.
[ anyway wow look at all that yap ]
So they're mimics of people parading around as lost spirits? How common are these sightings?
[ i know, he's hecking up SO bad here, unforgivable!!! also earth does exist in honkai lore but i am not sure how far removed jy is from it. ]
'Frankenstein'?
[ FREE ME OF THE YAP!! free me of canon. hsr people don't read this ]
They do not necessarily mimic people. They can become much more powerful and destruction, and are usually harmful if left unchecked. We do employ individuals specialized to deal with them.
They're common enough to spawn urban legends, but not really a daily occurrence. There are online forums dedicated to what people mistakenly believe as 'hauntings'.
...An unfortunate, but universal lesson to be learned.
[ stares at xianzhou lore. yaps about other xianzhou lore. also light cw: for mention of some grim topics below ]
I suppose the word 'possession' should be used in this case, but the heliobi will parasitize a host's body after taking control. We refer to this behavior as "emotion consumption"—feeding off the various changes to the nervous system, triggered by the experiencing of emotions.
The heliobi will drive their host to behave abnormally in order to harvest more feedback—binge-eating, impulsiveness, self-mutilation, or destruction to name a few. They can also cause their hosts to experience wild delusions, and in general will expend the host's physical body.
[ he returns a question as well, ] ...What is the supernatural like, in your world?
Everything you've described isn't necessarily out of the question for ghosts in my world as well.
[ first of all and important, although; ]
The supernatural is everywhere. You'd have to be more specific. I went to school with werewolves, sirens, vampires, gorgons, shapeshifters... Psychics. All kinds, really. Ghosts, spirits and magic are all existent in the world, though none of these creatures or talents would ever be considered widely accepted.
Ah, but these broader strokes do help answer the question. [ yay context!! ]
Though there are many strange beasts and occurrences in my world, some with overlapping traits as we've just discussed, the creatures you've named would be considered fictional. So hearing there is a school dedicated to these species is most intriguing, to an outsider such as myself.
[ tilting his head, ] Are you affiliated to any of them?
[ for all he knows she COULD be a vampire, or a shapeshifter, etc... ]
Nevermore isn't commonplace, as far as such establishments go. It was created for the sole purpose to harbor those who exhibit traits of the supernatural. They're seen rather poorly by the majority at home, to put it lightly.
[ she hesitates while looking at him but ultimately... ]
So it serves as a haven of sorts, as well. [ he is glad then, that there is an educational system that is supporting these young, so-called 'outcasts'. ]
Is that so? [ curiously, ] Are there certain tools you use, or are they unnecessary?
[ surely this library can have a decorative mirror... she can catch a glimpse of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, which is a fancy way to say divination device. ]
[ wow look at this cool thing. she has no idea what it is but she's looking at it curiously. ]
As much of a haven as any high school can be. [ derogatory. but: ] Certain psychics require tools. My set of powers isn't one of them. It does make it a tad more... unpredictable.
Ah, I see. But you're able to fully harness them now, correct?
[ she learned how to... in school...?
unfortunately there is also probably a little emoshare of being nosy... as in he thinks it is very cool and wants to see her use her powers... but is too respectful to ask outright, tch. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Hello, Miss Mary. Looking for new rituals?
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[ a pause and then ... interest... wowie ]
And you?
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What happened to heaven being heaven for all sorts of people?
[ quotes it twice now, hehe. ]
I'm looking for new rituals, actually.
[ shows her the small handful of books he's gathered—some magic theory from other worlds, history, sciences, etc. ]
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[ she looks amused, but she'll show off that she's just reading a novel... before moving on to more interesting: his books ]
Are you trying to learn about how magic is performed in other worlds, then?
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...That, and I'm also just curious to see what other worlds are like.
[ nerd... but he nods at the book in mary's hands. ]
Shall I guess again? [ guesses again unprompted. ] A riveting romance, with a convoluted love triangle.
[ difficult to tell whether he is joking or not. ]
no subject
Magic is mostly innate to certain people in my world, though certain rituals can be used no matter your species. I was once witness to a ritual to bring back a man from where his soul had been punished to suffer for all eternity. [ a pause ] Quite different from hell--he'd been cursed for his actions in life by one of his victims.
[ anyway, the way her mood PLUMMETS at that guess and she looks so insulted ]
Don't make me vomit.
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My apologies. Will you enlighten me?
[ asked genuinely!!! but backtracking a bit, ]
...Interesting. That does sound quite dangerous though, if anyone is able to perform a ritual. Or would it require special training? You mentioned you had to center yourself to perform one, for example.
[ here comes the yap ]
In my world, there can be certain magic inherent to a species, but also a broader range of elemental abilities that can be harnessed a bit more widely. My specialty is lightning, for example. [ there is also yet another subset of 'Paths' that influence abilities, but that is... very confusing to explain... ]
...Moreso than rituals, I would say the people of my home are more likely to stumble across an errant heliobi—cognizant entities made of pure energy, that are commonly mistaken for ghosts. They can recreate the memories of the living to take on forms of the deceased, but they are not actually the deceased themselves.
no subject
No, not everyone would have the capacity to perform that ritual, seeing as most people don't have the stomach to become serial killers.
[ anyway wow look at all that yap ]
So they're mimics of people parading around as lost spirits? How common are these sightings?
no subject
'Frankenstein'?
[ FREE ME OF THE YAP!! free me of canon. hsr people don't read this ]
They do not necessarily mimic people. They can become much more powerful and destruction, and are usually harmful if left unchecked. We do employ individuals specialized to deal with them.
They're common enough to spawn urban legends, but not really a daily occurrence. There are online forums dedicated to what people mistakenly believe as 'hauntings'.
no subject
[ not the online forums she's making a face. she hates the internet ]
What do these "hauntings" consist of, if the creatures themselves are harmful? Ghosts rarely are quite so dire.
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[ stares at xianzhou lore. yaps about other xianzhou lore. also light cw: for mention of some grim topics below ]
I suppose the word 'possession' should be used in this case, but the heliobi will parasitize a host's body after taking control. We refer to this behavior as "emotion consumption"—feeding off the various changes to the nervous system, triggered by the experiencing of emotions.
The heliobi will drive their host to behave abnormally in order to harvest more feedback—binge-eating, impulsiveness, self-mutilation, or destruction to name a few. They can also cause their hosts to experience wild delusions, and in general will expend the host's physical body.
[ he returns a question as well, ] ...What is the supernatural like, in your world?
no subject
[ first of all and important, although; ]
The supernatural is everywhere. You'd have to be more specific. I went to school with werewolves, sirens, vampires, gorgons, shapeshifters... Psychics. All kinds, really. Ghosts, spirits and magic are all existent in the world, though none of these creatures or talents would ever be considered widely accepted.
no subject
Though there are many strange beasts and occurrences in my world, some with overlapping traits as we've just discussed, the creatures you've named would be considered fictional. So hearing there is a school dedicated to these species is most intriguing, to an outsider such as myself.
[ tilting his head, ] Are you affiliated to any of them?
[ for all he knows she COULD be a vampire, or a shapeshifter, etc... ]
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[ she hesitates while looking at him but ultimately... ]
I'm a psychic.
[ GASPS... gasps...honesty ]
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So it serves as a haven of sorts, as well. [ he is glad then, that there is an educational system that is supporting these young, so-called 'outcasts'. ]
Is that so? [ curiously, ] Are there certain tools you use, or are they unnecessary?
[ surely this library can have a decorative mirror... she can catch a glimpse of the Matrix of Prescience Ultima, which is a fancy way to say divination device. ]
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As much of a haven as any high school can be. [ derogatory. but: ] Certain psychics require tools. My set of powers isn't one of them. It does make it a tad more... unpredictable.
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more about mary!!!! being a goth at a goth high school is very funny... ]
As in, you might receive visions without warning?
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... Yes. [ said extremely reluctantly ] Though part of it was that I lacked the training when I first developed the powers.
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Ah, I see. But you're able to fully harness them now, correct?
[ she learned how to... in school...?
unfortunately there is also probably a little emoshare of being nosy... as in he thinks it is very cool and wants to see her use her powers... but is too respectful to ask outright, tch. ]
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I had to summon one of my ancestors from the dead to get anyone capable of teaching me.
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That's impressive. How did you accomplish that? And did your ancestor manifest as a specter?
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She came to me in a vision. I summoned her the way one usually summons spirits.
[ she says this like he should know even though she knows he has no spirits ]
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So these spirits communicate through visions, rather than more tangible means. You are acting as a medium, then? ...And what is the usual way?
[ do i dare ask for a memshare anymore ]
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Well. Not that.
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...You two share a strong resemblance.
It was not about control, then, but understanding your own ability.
This 'Crackstone' she spoke of... who was he?
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