smk_network | Video

[Okay. So Aziraphale's message was... less than helpful... and there are a lot of newbies this time around. So Eleanor decides to have another crack at a greeting to all of them.

So she sat on her couch in front of a plain white wall, nothing fancy. A framed candid photo of her and Rosabella hangs off to her right, below it is a picture of Mrs. Brisby. Dressed in a comfy plaid shirt, she gives the mirror a lop sided smile before she begins to speak.]

Hey everyone, I'm Eleanor and I'm just gonna get straight to the point:

Here's the deal. I'm not gonna sugar coat this for you - Things aren't the greatest right now. The townies hate us, which is just making everything a little harder. We're doing our best, but we've gotta work harder if we're going to win back their trust. I know all you newbies are probably getting sick of hearing about everything. There's a loooooot of info. Take it from someone who used to reading, uh, anything So here are some cliffnotes:

-You can get some food for free at places in town - it's good shit, too. That'll help til you get a job or someone to freeload off of.
-The Emporium has everything you might need - ask for me or Michael, we'll help hook you up.
-I'm sure you've already noticed, but the full moon makes things weird around here. Anyone who's a monster class starts looking and acting pretty wiggy. And... don't take it personally, they can't help it. On the new moon it's the exact opposite, so be nice.
-Most importantly: don't do any missions til you've at least tried to do magic... they suck ass if you don't know what you're doing. During my first mission, one guy blew up one of our tents and made the other one invisible. Seriously. You try finding an invisible tent in the dark. It's not fun.

[She gives the mirror a reassuring smile.]

Listen... I know it's a lot. Trust me. I didn't believe a single word of it until I saw the corroded with my own eyes and actually did magic for the first time. But you're not alone. If you want help with magic and shit there are a lot of us around you can talk to. Also, I'm gonna put out the same blanket offer I did a while ago. No matter how long you've been here, If you need someone to train with, talk to, hang out with, bitch at or whatever, I'm your girl. I work at the Emporium, but hit me up through the mirror any time. I'll buy the first round of drinks. Booze, tea, coffee, milk and cookies, a thimble of something, whatever.

[She pauses, biting her lip]

Uuuuhhh yeah that's about it. [Another pause] Fuck, I don't know how to end this without sounding either really lame or super awkward... except now I just made it awkward by saying that. [She facepalms] Just... bye. Okay? Bye.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

az_shrimp_horny

[She shrugged]

You're not wrong. I just haven't heard anyone making any good suggestions to help us get back on their good side, yet.

Honestly, a lot of this magic shit is beyond me. Merlin'd be the one to ask about why magic keeps fucking with us, but good luck getting a straight answer out of that dingbat. I didn't have magic before I got here, but I've gotten pretty good at it and I think there's only a couple left of my class who have been here long enough to train anyone. They've been asking for volunteers to help out, now. So it really depends on who wants to do it. But, hey, when you get shit figured out I'm sure people wouldn't mind if you want to help out!

From:

weaver_of_lies

Has no one tried in any significant ways to make amends? That seems rather short sighed. Should this have not been something Merlin and that Hades person have a team assembled for?

[It was politics, in Shadow Weaver's mind, and there should always be someone ready to deal with that side of the public].

I will be sure to make that possible. If I'm to be stuck here, I see no reason why I shouldn't help some others move their talents along.

[Maybe it wouldn't backfire this time].

From:

az_shrimp_horny

That's a good idea. I'm not so great at that making amends thing, so I'm definitely not someone you want doing that. But I'm sure there are some people around here that'd be good at... what do you call it? Public relations?

[She smiles]

Thanks for offering to help. Most people don't do much when they first get here. It takes a month or two to get used to shit... that tends to slow things down some.

From:

weaver_of_lies

There are several people here I have seen already who seem to have a knack for ~~fooling~~brightening people around them. There is someone from my world who's personalty seems pointed to that direction. I'm assuming you have already interacted with Scorpia, and I have already seen several others who bring out the best in people.

[Shadow Weaver could boast about her abilities, but being a people person? She was not that deluded. She neither understood nor wanted any part of that skill].

I am older than most, Eleanor. I am well past the age of rebelliousness at my fate, however strange it is. The younger and more full of potential you are, the higher the possibility that that vigor can be pointed toward apathy, or worse.

Edited Date: 2020-05-23 07:31 am (UTC)

From:

az_shrimp_horny

[Eleanor's face brightens.]

Hey, yeah! I know Scorpia! She told me all about your world. Pretty intense stuff. Pretty cool that you already know somebody here, though. I had someone from my world here, too.

[She can't help but smirk at the age comment.]

Oh I don't know about that. I happen to know three eternal beings who are going against their fate. Never say never.

From:

weaver_of_lies

Intense does not begin to cover it. Scorpia was born in the Fright Zone during the time the Hoarde had complete control of it. You could look at her as a concession, in a way. They had her as well as something of hers that holds immense power. Had she been given full control of that item, she would be much more powerful now.

[Nevermind Shadow Weaver was somewhat responsible for why Scorpia hadn't had the Black Garnet runstone].

Scorpia and I know each other, but I would not say that we are close. That's steeped in my past, for certain reasons.

Mmm. I do not know if I can agree even in rare circumstances. There are some things that are absolutes, some simply do not know it yet.

From:

az_shrimp_horny

Shit, I don't think she told me that part.

[Holy shit. What the hell was this place they were from?!]

I mean, that's fair. Every dimension and world is different. What works for our world might just not work in yours.

From:

weaver_of_lies

I would imagine she might keep that to herself, preferring to look on the bright side of things. That is her usual way, no matter how frustrating it can be.

[Not like Shadow Weaver, who was frustrating in a completely different way].

Has this world worked to your expectations, Eleanor?

From:

az_shrimp_horny

[The question took her by surprise. She... wasn't sure what to say to that. So she thought about it for a moment.]

I... didn't have any expectations, really. To be honest, they didn't even know I was coming. The mirror went on the fritz and it dumped me out in the middle of the night after the welcome party was over. I was angry and confused and didn't believe a fucking word they said to me. But Michael was here. He's from the same place I came from. He told me it was all real and helped me figure shit out. And I made other friends who helped me learn how to use magic and start to teach people.

[She paused, mulling it over.]

Honestly, I think I've become a better person since I've been here.

From:

weaver_of_lies

That is interesting.

[She had her doubts of this place, and began to seriously wonder what exactly was its intent. Certainly she would want to see this Corrosion herself before she was tossing herself into another cause, particularly one that had her compromised in this way. There was also, though, this other aspect that was strangely intriguing, how people were influenced by the severity of the situation, how some that might float aimless had those who knew how to bring their cause together.

Though it was far too early to tell so far].

My roommate seems to also feel this is a positive thing for him, particularly since he had perished in his world. You being a teacher at least seems to indicate this place has a way of shaping others.

[Shadow Weaver had no intention of being anyone's project, but that feeling she would keep to herself. Other than Scorpia, there was no dire connection to this place. It was strange, but she would tolerate it until she properly understood it].

From:

az_shrimp_horny

Him, too? Yeah there are a few of us here who are dead back home. Me, I died and went to The Bad Place. But that's a stupid crazy story.

[She snorted. No, really. What was her life (or death), even?!]

But, yeah. For some of us it's a second chance. For some it's just a chance for a life different than what they had back home. The magic makes a difference, I think. It's kind of a great equalizer. Everyone starts at the same level, whether they had magic back home or not. It just makes it easier for some people to get the hang of it.

From:

weaver_of_lies

The...bad place. That is a very descriptiveness place. After all, there are a number of "bad places" one can be placed. There are books in my world detailing a few, as well as the various tortures employed within.

[Best to not think about, honestly].

That is one way of looking at it. It can also make the people who have spent their life learning it resentful of people who arrive here and having the hang of it in mere months.

From:

az_shrimp_horny

Hell. Basically. They really weren't too original on naming shit. The opposite side of that? The Good Place. Big surprise there, right? We got special original torture that... really didn't work, but that's another story.

[Fail demooooooon. But enough about her boyfriend...]

You've got a point there. I mean, magic still gets fucked up. A lot. Like one time I wished for a door to escape a bunch of ghouls or something and got one like 3 inches tall. I had to get shrunk down to fit through it.

From:

weaver_of_lies

Ah yes. The eternal bad place. Do you know, I think it has a different name, but I can imagine what it is. It is a common theme in many cultures of people I imagine.

[That DID pique her interest, this "special original torture," but she would ask that later].

Yes, that does not fill me with much confidence. I would rather magic be based on principals and will and learned information rather than the, as you put it, "fucked up" nature it seems to have here.

From:

az_shrimp_horny

Yeah. I mean I'm guessing there are a lot of names for it. Maybe that's why they went generic, to avoid any specific culture or religion's terminology.

[She may look and act like a dumb blonde sometimes but there is a brain under there!]

I get you. I mean, it does get easier with practice. You learn to be super specific and how to control it. But it's not perfect.

From:

weaver_of_lies

A place that foul doesn't strike me as one caring all too much what you call it.

[It was a funny enough observation though].

Magic in my world has laws, even if it seems fantastical in its application. There are still rules you observe, and most of all, intent. You cannot make good magic, strong magic, if your intent is weak and your resolve flighty. The strongest magician is the one who is truly dedicated to their craft.

From:

az_shrimp_horny

[She laughs]

You've got a point, there. Though I could just as easily see them being assholes about it just because they can be.

[She thought about it for a moment, mulling Shadow Weaver's words.]

That makes a lot of sense. And I think the same could probably be said for this place. You have to really visualize what you want and commit to it or things are gonna go wrong.

From:

weaver_of_lies

The laws we think eternal torment has and the one it has for us are usually going to be very different.

[And sometimes the real world was torturous enough].

I cannot fathom someone trying to do magic half heartedly. Then again, I am accustomed to novices taking practical applications and reading many texts before they get into the heavier kind of magic people here talk about.

From:

az_shrimp_horny

That's... a good way to put it, I think.

[Chidi would appreciate that.]

I think it's mostly that no one knows what they're doing and we've got a lot of people who've never had magic before or just plain don't believe it. I was one of them so I know...

From:

weaver_of_lies

Thank you.

It is very unbelievable by some, and something fantastical and to be awed at by others. Really, with the proper focus most of the people here can do it. It's all a matter of perspective.