public channel | day 92, afternoon

[dontpokethat]

Alright, we got any priests here? Tanyuu says we need one.

[There’s a lot more he could say here, like the fact that they’re specifically looking for a Shinto priest, and that they need one so Reira can experience a proper shichi-go-san festival, and that he suggested that maybe it didn’t really matter since it’s all symbolic anyway, and Tanyuu didn’t seem to like that suggestion.

But none of that has occurred to him, so here we are.]

Comments

[periphrasing]

Oh. I see.

[She pauses, contemplative-- and then...]

Can you teach ME how to do it?

[dontpokethat]

[Holy shit. Okay. Don't laugh. Don't laugh, she has no way of knowing any of this.]

Uh... I don't think I'm really qualified to do that. And we'd need a lot more time, anyway.

[periphrasing]

That's alright. Luckily for you, I'm a very fast learner.

[She sounds SO 100% SERIOUS ABOUT THIS.]

[flashover]

Whaaaat! I was just saying I didn't remember! Maybe that was the time where we found you by the inari statue...? It's a pretty vivid memory, I just don't know if that was the right time.

[flashover]

If she needs some convincing, I can help! She can't say no to a poor blind boy. [using his new disability as leverage??? he has no shame!!]

[reflash]

That's not something you should be telling the entire Carnival about.

[flashover]

Ahhh....! Sorry, I was just thinking outloud, I guess! My bad...

[dontpokethat]

Yeah, uh... now and then. [When he finds ones that can speak Japanese, anyway. He's guessing, from the sound of it, that what she's calling the 'agents' of gods would probably be closer to what he would think of as the gods themselves, which...]

Where I'm from, most of "Nature's" intentions were carried out by animals, so it was mostly a matter of observation.

[And the times it wasn't got... complicated. He sort of hopes he can avoid talking about that, if he's honest.]

[dontpokethat]

I appreciate it. I'll let you know if anything comes up - and pass the message on to Tanyuu, once she's back. She might have more you could do.

[dontpokethat]

I'm-- sure you are, [He is trying so hard to keep a straight face here] But, unfortunately, there's still the matter that I'm not really qualified to train a priest.

[dontpokethat]

[Holy shit Rin. Ginko can't keep from letting out an amused snort.]

Maybe that's the problem; just needed someone with one less eye and fifteen fewer years to do the talking.

[impatientdefense]

By... animals. Like, talking animals, like those ones we saw the other day? Or just... regular animals?

[Because regular animals would make it tough, for sure.]

[dontpokethat]

I wouldn't call them 'regular' animals - but they didn't talk, no. Except the humans, which were... rarely chosen.

[impatientdefense]

This is one of those things that's too complicated to explain, isn't it.

[dontpokethat]

I wouldn't say that. I'd be glad to explain, if you do want to know more.

[be very careful how you answer here, beau; just because he can explain doesn't mean he'll be succinct about it]

[lmpatientdefense]

Uhh. If it takes more than like... five, ten minutes to explain, and it's not about getting better at beating the shit out of people...

[Well, he better be a good storyteller, or she's going to space out. She knows herself well enough to know that.]

[dontpokethat]

I'll try to make it quick.

[Yeah, he's considering this permission to go for it.]

Where I'm from, the 'natural order' was an observable force in itself; it kept the world in balance indirectly, through gods. These animals were selected before their birth; all through their incubation, they would have forged within them a strong connection to the environment which they were selected to protect and manage.

By the time they were born, their bodies were full of mugura - think of them like the nerves of mountains - so that they could see and feel everything that happened in their territory. After that, if the mugura were the mountain's nerves, the god acted as its brain. It kept the environment in balance, made sure that the life there neither withered nor grew out of control.

[He hopes that helps.]

[lmpatientdefense]

[It's so long. So long. But she did literally ask, so she sticks it out, and manages to get a couple ideas from it.]

...Huh. So it's like this, uh...

[Beau wiggles her fingers with her hands pointing slightly down, trying to depict nerves running down from mountain peaks into animals. Regardless of how well her hand motions imply it, it does absolutely no good, seeing as they're talking on the radio.]

This hivemind kind of thing, with the 'gods' controlling the animals from a distance...?

[The closest she has personal experience with is Frumpkin, or maybe just mind control magic in general, but... she's read things.]

[dontpokethat]

Close, but not exactly. Gods don't usually control animals directly; they have some influence over simpler forms of life, but if they want the animals to do something in particular, they usually have to find less direct ways to bring it about.

Which... some are pretty good at.

[As Ginko has discovered firsthand.]

[impatientdefense]

So it's all more... passive, manipulative. Power behind the curtains.

[It's a little hard to conceive of, since in her experience, most entities that never really socialize aren't much good at pushing people to do their bidding. But cultish groups might spawn up around those entities, and push each other to do things.]

You run into any things like that out here?

[dontpokethat]

Something like that. Humans may run into them on occasion, but their influence isn't usually evident unless you already know what they are.

Eh, none that come to mind. Most conscious forces that we run into seem to be a little more overt.

[impatientdefense]

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? All the overt, conscious forces. I'm guessing not that great, considering... everything.

[dontpokethat]

It... depends. Back when we were actually functioning as a carnival, we ran into quite a few that were benevolent, or at least not malicious. They were usually among those we were putting on a show for.

[impatientdefense]

Huh. I wouldn't think people that powerful would care to watch some carnival. That's more the... bored townspeople, thing.

[dontpokethat]

Hey, it was a really good carnival. [Yeah, that's his explanation.] We had things here you couldn't see anywhere else - and a pretty incredible performance crew, to boot.

[Is he bragging because his boyfriend used to be stage manager? Maybe a little.]