005. Staying the way you are also means solitude

[drydrown]

[It's...actually pretty late at night when the message hits the network; looks like someone's not sleeping well for whatever reason. Maybe.]

Well, it's good to see that my brain has decided to take this fine opportunity to provide me with new and creative ways to do basic calligraphy.



If you recognize that sort of thing any - congratulations, I suppose. I probably want a word with you.

Even if you don't, however, I'm feeling like escapism tonight. Tell me stories you know, either from your past life or this one. Legends, mythology, fairy tales people tell their children, even - it doesn't have to be anything complex. As long as it entertains me somehow I don't care.

Comments

[livingimpaired]

Feeling lonely, Cumore?

[drydrown]

If you're going to ask that of me, you might as well ask everyone who posts to the network at all.

[livingimpaired]

It's just surprisingly late.
But I keep rather unhealthy hours so how about I keep you company for a bit.

So, why not tell me a story from your youth?

[drydrown]

I do believe I asked first.

[maidofmistakes]

That looks... really pointy. Sorry, I don't. This is on the login screen of this laptop I just got in the mailbox, though:

[drydrown]

I see. That seems a little counterintuitive...?

[maidofmistakes]

You mean getting a computer where everything's in some weird alien language?

[odasaku]

My past life wasn't interesting.

[ because what's so interesting about being an assassin haha...right...? ]

But I'm writing a novel. I can talk about that.

[drydrown]

I'd like that, actually.

[maybe he won't get snippy with you like he did shuji, who knows.]

[odasaku]

[ it takes a while for oda to type up the whole message, writing and rewriting multiple sections. ]

The story is based on a man that wakes up one day with the knowledge that his life has been a lie. His friends, family, and past have all been a fabricated lie.

But as he continues to search for his real self, he starts realizing that his real life was one full of disappointment and horrors. The more he learns about it, the more alienated he feels from everyone, to the point that he has to decide between rejecting his fake life, and living in crushing solitude or accept his true self while being fully aware that the life he’s accepting is a fake.

[onemillion]

I received a book with strange writing in it, but it doesn't look anything like this. It's sort of pretty, though.

I don't have any stories to tell, but I suppose I could talk a little bit about the memories I've received, if you want to hear about those.

[drydrown]

It's nice, I suppose. A bit odd to pick up out of nowhere, but at least it's doing me the general favor of not being ugly.

I wouldn't mind hearing anything you're willing to talk about, actually. Go ahead.

[onemillion]

I'd like to learn more about the language I was using. I'd love to be able to read that book someday.

[too bad rossiu, you never get to.]

From what I've remembered, I used to live in an underground village. It was a dark, dismal place. We worshiped an idol, but other than that I don't remember very much about it.

Sometime later on I was above ground, piloting a "gunmen", a giant mecha. My friend(?) went berserk for some reason and ran off after killing our enemies.

...I'm not very good at telling stories, I'm sorry.

[you just now realized??]

[blondferret]

Alex, mate, can you even read that?

[Derek, just wait until you remember Ancient Runes!]

I mean, if you don't want to talk about it I did just get a book: Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and can try telling you about it. And by try, I mean it's mostly blank minus the introduction and a few entries.

[drydrown]

I received a book recently as well; it did me the favor of not being blank, but it's possibly the most boring thing I've ever tried reading.

It's all written using a system like the examples I've given, though, so it's safe to say that I can read it just fine, along with writing it. It's surprisingly easy for me, actually.

[blondferret]

At least you can read the book! The forward has latin in it. It says: draco dormiens nunquam titillandus. Which, according to google translate means: Never tickle a sleeping dragon. I mean, I won't argue against such advice but... WHY?

And it says something about the book having a theif's curse if yo don't buy the book. I seriously hope my other self bought this book.

And any idea what "muggle" means?

[ossifragant]

[Well, this guy is up when the message pings his phone, so he might as well.]

that's a peculiar looking script
what does it say?

[drydrown]

They're a bunch of names. It isn't any sort of coherent message, though I could write one out for you, if you wanted to see something specific.

[ossifragant]

nah, that's fine

it's kind of strange thinking about people forgetting entire languages, and then suddenly remembering them

[matchbreaker]

Want to hear the "real" story of Dracula?

Or about Maxwell von Zarovich?

I've got a few others actually

[drydrown]

Anything you're willing to share is more than welcome.

[matchbreaker]

[ Well then. She runs through the ones downloaded into her brain and she eventually produces: ]

I'm typing this more or less how I remember hearing it when the past-me was young. Honestly, I have no idea how true it is or isn't.

This is a story that starts us off in the old country, actually. Back in the ancient days of knights and kings and serfs. And our story begins with an ambitious vampire named Maxwell von Zarovich.

Old Maxwell was a bit of an odd sort, because he saw that the humans of his country just never stopped killing each other, and he was real bothered by it all. The church told them that someone was heretic and so their head was off! Someone stole some bread to feed their family and they lost a hand! And of course, a hundred little men calling themselves kings were sending all their knights to slaughter each other all the time. He wanted to try and make things better for them, and so Maxwell decided to call himself a king.

Of course, in those days, no one could just be in charge without strength to show for it, so Maxwell von Zarovich convinced his family to rise up with him, and then he won over a lot of poor humans so that they might call him their lord. Soon enough some of the knights even answered to him, and von Zarovich went to war! Over and over he fought and he fought, trying to get all of those hundred kings in line. Every time he won, the people those kings were lording over praised his family and entered his kingdom, but every time the wars were long and bloody. A hundred kings took over a hundred years to beat in all!

And so even though all the humans were coming out on top, people began to say Maxwell was a monster. He only rode at night, and how could he still be so young if a century had past?

But see, the funny thing is, Maxwell von Zarovich really believed he could help out all the humans under him, so the damn fool never ate unless he was on a battlefield, feeding off his enemies. So he got to be old looking. Even if the wars were common, after a hundred years of it all, his hair was white and his bones were gnarled. But once it was all over, the land had the true king they had always wanted, someone who rule them all fairly and benevolently.

Or well, that was the plan.

[livingdeadgirl]

oh hey that kind of looks like troll writing
aesthetically anyway
i cant actually read it

[drydrown]

Does it really...? Do you have an example?

[livingdeadgirl]

sure just a sec

[after a minute she sends over a photo of some writing in a pointy alphabet, on a piece of notebook paper.]

thats "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
it reads right to left