driftfleet | JULY PLANET MINGLE

Entry tags:

JULY PLANET MINGLE

Who: YOU. ME. EVERYONE.
Broadcast: IF YOU WANT
Action: YEAH!!!!!
When: July!

[Congratulations to the crews that did not get themselves blown up! Welcome to the Blue Planet, a planet full of charming islands and even less charming weather patterns! Are you going to take the time to enjoy the beach? Help out with the local Nunnilis population? Get caught in a storm with another person and have a rating boosting sexual tension moment? The world's your oyster!]

[Yeah in other words: ITS A MINGLE GET IN HERE]

[July Planet Info!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Mostly. A lot of the thralls were forced to attack us. Most people want their heroes to be clearly good, all the time. Grey areas confuse the narrative, even if it makes it more honest.

Besides, there were kids there and I'm sure that's a conversation none of the parents wanted to have at bed time tonight.

Oh, absolutely. [it does not surprise him at all to hear. his excitement dies down a little--or at least shifts into a more manageable form, as his smile turns into a little smirk.] That just makes you a good storyteller. Black-and-white isn't realistic, but it's easy to remember. Those are the ones that get passed on the longest.

That's not untrue. People are always changing the stories from how they really happened.

[The way she phrases it says she's talking about her own stories still.]

And then they get disappointed when the real thing doesn't quite meet expectations. [A light shrug here.] Ah well.

[that gets him to chuckle.]

Oh, I know it. I'm of a similar vocation, when I'm not calling myself a mercenary.

[or a politician... or public-relations... or a horrifying ancient demigod...]

Oh, then we are truly birds of a feather.

[The moment it's out of her mouth, she winces.]

Oh, that was terrible. Forgive my awful puns.

[he... laughs. it wasn't very funny, but that doesn't stop the stupid giggle that bubbles out of him before he can cover his mouth.]

Ah... I didn't laugh. You didn't hear it. It was not funny in the slightest.

Oh gods, don't encourage me. No one should laugh at my jokes.

[Because they're awful. Comedy is not her strong suit.]

No, let's go back. You said you're a bard and a mercenary. That means there's some stories in you too.

[he likes awful jokes. he likes awful things in general, really... but he'll lower his hand again, gnawing on his food as she moves the conversation along.]

Oh, yeah. Lots of stories. I could tell you one, if you'd like...

[She only nibbles at her own food. Her attention is more on him than in eating.]

I live for good stories.

[his expression splits into a quiet grin.]

How about a legend? It's about my hometown. I've told it a few times here, but I like it.

We always tell the best stories over and over, because they're the best.

[That would be a yes, if her shifting posture so she's comfortable for the tale isn't telling enough.]

Hah, well... At the very least, it'll be a good introduction. Let me think...

[he cleans a last bit of food off of his skewer, chewing thoughtfully for a second... and clearing this throat when he thinks he remembers how to start. he's already a fairly well-spoken and confident person, and his personality transfers over very well into storytelling. he doesn't stumble or mix up his words even once.]

After the Third End, the people of my world were scared and fragile. They lived under the earth, and while those caves and tunnels were unforgiving, they were nothing compared to the dangerous beasts who lived in the Haunting far below. Or the climate on the surface--which was was harsh, unlivable, irradiated, and filled with its own mess of unfriendly creatures.

One such creature, a nameless monster, lived in the mountains far from the people of my city... When it was young, it fed on goats and deer, but as it grew older, it started to eat wolves and bears. It grew larger the more it ate, and started to learn things. It learned that eating bigger and bigger things made it stronger. It learned that it could absorb the power of its prey. Eventually it grew so big that the sheer, narrow paths of the mountain could not hold it, and it slithered down into the valley where it would sometimes watch brave humans crawl out of their caves to hunt for food.

[he will pause here, just to make sure that she's still following him. he knows she understands the concept of Monsters, at least--so he doesn't expect she'll have a problem.]

[Oh she's intently listening. If there's one thing that could ever get Syeira's full, unequivocal attention, it was a story.]

What happened then?

[The words feel both far away and familiar. She feels like a child again, demanding Gorion read the next page of an epic history or legend. It's been a long while since she'd heard a proper good story.]

[oh, he loves a captive audience. he nods and continues...]

Well, the monster could have gone on eating bears and lions and whatever else roamed the valley, but it saw these hunters and thought... What power these creatures must have. Yes, they were small, physically weak, unbalanced... But the monster watched them them speak to one another, create tools from almost nothing, and hunt animals many times their own size with cunning and cooperation. What a hidden strength must have dwelt in their hearts. It wanted that power for its own.

So, it took to catching and dragging off stragglers. Soon it was large and strong enough to devour them whole in its massive jaws. It reveled in the fear it felt growing in the people below. Greedy and swollen with pride, the monster finally clawed its way under the earth into the caves where it knew even more humans lived. It dove down to the lowest caves and ate anyone it could find. It ate and it ate and it ate, growing so large that it tore apart houses, left whole blocks demolished in its wake. It became so arrogant that it even began to eat other monsters, carelessly consuming anything that slipped into its claws.

[he waves his empty skewer around a little, to punctuate.]

Now, the other monsters did not appreciate this. Who was this brash newcomer, who thought it could disrupt years of tradition and social order? Who was this thing who thought it could just steal all of their prey? The more intelligent of them saw how fast it grew and began to worry that it would soon become unstoppable; if they did not act quickly, the whole city might soon be swallowed up in its jaws. For the first time in history, one of the more eloquent of their kind reached out to the terrified people of the caves above and asked for a truce, an agreement to end this monster for everyone's sake.

[--a short chuckle.] Very soon after that, the monster came across a single person wandering through the caves it had cleared to be its home. It had become quite audacious by then, and thought it funny to try to speak with the man, taunt him, inform him of his inevitable death. The man was not afraid as he should have been, and instead insulted the monster in turn. Furious that a mere human would dare, it chased after him... But the man was very fast, leading the monster down a series of confusing, winding passageways.

Very suddenly, it found itself in the Haunting, where many more monsters scrambling through the tunnels. It started eating them in a rage, screaming for the blood of the man who'd gotten away. More monsters began to stream into the tunnel, and it ate them too. It ate and ate and ate until there was not a single monster left in sight.

And when it tried to move--ha, to its great surprise, it could barely budge. It had grown so large that it no longer fit in the tunnels! It heard the exits seal closed around its bloated body, and realized too late that it had been tricked.

[ah... he can't help but grin. he's still rather proud of that part.]

So, to this day, they say that if you go down far enough, you can hear the Leviathan moaning to be let free, growling threats of revenge. When the earth shakes, they say that it's just Leviathan shifting restlessly through its prison...

That is a wonderful legend. Is it true?

[Because some are.]

[oh, she's quick--he smiles wide.]

Oh, yes. Absolutely. I've met it myself, and its as big as they say.

And yet, here you are, completely uneaten. That sounds like a story all of it's own.

[Seriously, you have to tell her about this adventure. Look at her leaning in all intrigued. Were they even eating anymore? Who knows? Who cares! Tell her the story!]

Aw... [he looks the other way, pretending to be bashful...]

Your enthusiasm is wonderful, but I can't go telling too many secrets on our very first meeting... I'll lose my charming mystique.

Have you been telling me secrets? I distinctly remember you saying you've told the story before. Which parts were secret? I really should know, so I don't go telling everyone.

[As if she would.]

I'm always telling secrets. It's just a matter of paying attention.

[which is not a lie. a strange thing to say, yes, but no less truthful.]

I sure didn't tell the others it was real, though, so that one can be kept under wraps.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

JULY PLANET MINGLE

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