Teenagers Scare the Living Shit Out Of Me etc. etc.

[dyingtohealyou]

[Characters passing by the bulletin board may notice a new message tacked to it!]

Drinking party at the bar at 8pm. Under 21 only. Adults will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Fun and games included, party hats optional. Don’t be late!

[Sure enough, there’s a gathering of teens (and maybe some not-so-teens?) to be found in the bar! While the posting mentions this is a teen only event, adults are in fact allowed as long as they are cool. OOCLY please be aware there are going to be teens drinking alcohol and possibly smoking! Also additionally, please let the teens/players have fun; again, adults are allowed but only if they’re cool enough to play along without snitching them out!

All party game top levels are going to be made under Ahito’s account but please assume ICly that Akira instigated/explained them! Once the game toplevels are up you can also post your own toplevels to mingle freely if you like IDK IT’S A PARTY HAVE FUN]

Comments

[divineth]

Mikaela, 'tis good to see thee.

[It's been a hot minute, hasn't it. Hopefully Mikaela has had time to recuperate after...the East mission...]

I shall choose truth.

[shortleash]

( Thankfully, he has recovered from being cringe. Don't look at him. He kind of nods... at the greeting. Hi to you too. )

... Does everyone talk like that where you're from, or just you?

[divineth]

While I cannot claim to be the only one, 'tis likely a scarce few who do.

Dragons of eld, as one such example, speak like this.

[shortleash]

( mika who's probably never been to school past middle school if that, trying to parse any of what urianger just said, )

... Why do you copy how dragons talk?

[divineth]

[Mika should do what Bruno did and make Urianger translate himself.]

Humans of that time period also spoke this way, but it hath since fallen out of favor with the common tongue. However, it was preserved in literature. This literature I did greatly enjoy in my youth, leading me to adopt it for mine own use.

[shortleash]

( If Urianger could surely he'd be doing it already, right... Like obviously he can tell no one else talks like this right... )

So you just... really like talking like that?

( Trying to confirm he's understanding the meaning here because (help). But that's also... kinda nerdy if so??? It's like being a trains guy but for old talk. )

[divineth]

Aye. 'Tis always been my preference.

[It is absolutely nerdy.]

[shortleash]

( Well, chase your bliss, I guess. )

I mean, if that's what you like... ( ? Can small things like that make a person happy? He isn't sure. Maybe. ) Doesn't bug you that people don't always get what you mean?

( Genuine question. )

[divineth]

'Tis a barrier of mine own making, therefore I have only myself to blame if I am misunderstood.

[Which is to say, if he was truly bothered he'd stop doing it.]

However, I would have it known that I am always willing to offer alternate phrasing for the sake of clarification.

[shortleash]

( oh okay so he's like an otaku basically, he can turn it off if he has to )

Right, okay. It's not like it bothers me, schools just stopped existing where I came from, so I'm just from a totally opposite background.

( He's smart for his age and he can read above his hypothetical grade level, but this is more a different dialect than anything. )

I can take a truth too, if you want.

[divineth]

[An otaku. Help. He can turn it off, but he'd have to put some thought into his words like I have to put thought into his old english--]

Oh... That is most unfortunate to hear. [He's from the land of nerds, what do you mean there is no schooling?!] 'Tis of little consolation, but thou wouldst likely not learn of this dialect during general education outside of classes focused on literature, and 'twould be used for historical purposes.

[Not for like, practical application. It's a dead dialect, after all.

As for a follow-up truth...hmmmm.]

Dost thou have a favorite story? Fable or otherwise, it matters not.

[shortleash]

( He shrugs. )

Happens when the world ends. ( Lack of real schooling, he means. The demon army's weird testing grounds "school" doesn't count. ) But I guess I'm glad it's not just me.

( Only being half understand a guy makes one wonder if they're just dumb. Turns out, he's just not nerdy enough.

The query, though, makes him stop and ponder. He hasn't thought about stories in forever... )

... It's not like it's special to me, but one story I'd read more often than some others was something called "the crane bride." It's about a poor man who lived in the mountains who saved a crane. He doesn't know it, but the crane returns as a pretty girl to be his wife and provide money for him. Have you heard that one before? ... The ending isn't exactly a happy one.

[leewards]

I've no qualms about his speech. In fact, I encourage it.

[And that's all that matters.]

He has a mind to fit his speech, not a fool who understands not a single word he says.

[shortleash]

( hello ? )

I don't recall my question being "Does Ithaqua like how you talk," so why are you answering?

[leewards]

Heheh! Because I am right here, and because my opinion is important to this discussion.

[It's one of the reasons why Urianger and Ithaqua just work together.]

[shortleash]

( Well, it's not like he doesn't understand being defensive of the boyfriend... but still. )

Okay, well, good to know you like him flirting with you in book talk. ( Not to be confused with BookTok, ) But I figured as much already.

( prob wouldn't be holding handsies with him if you weren't at least a little into it )

[fellheart]

[ baffled, from the other side of the bar: ]

— I don't talk like that?

I don't think any dragon I've known has talked like that, actually.

[shortleash]

( ???????

wait )

You're a dragon for real?

( That wasn't just a transformation choice u made bc it was cool ??? )

[fellheart]

[ dryly, seeing how far he can push the truth charm: ] No, I picked a complicated transformation involving many complex anatomical changes that could have dire consequences if botched, when that isn't the magic favored by the Northern spirits, in the middle of a chaotic battleground with many other things going on all because I wanted to test my limits.

—is what I'd say, but since we're all compelled into truthfulness by this charm, yes, I am a dragon 'for real'.

[ it might be a bit more complicated than that but it sure does boil down to it in the end, and isn't that what counts. ]

[shortleash]

( rude, but by now he can tell robin is the type to be wry )

It's not like we have dragons where I'm from. I wouldn't know.

( You could be an absolute idiot and choose a chuuni but cool transformation outside of your specialty, what does he know. )

... Did you look like this ( humanoid ) back home, too?

[fellheart]

[ if he ever gets through a conversation without sarcasm then get the pitchforks, that's not Robin. ]

I did. Most of the remaining dragons would as well, as it happens.

[shortleash]

Why?

[fellheart]

Because of Degeneration. Many if not all of the surviving dragons in the current era, [ not that there are even that many... ] have separated a significant amount of their power from themselves and taken on humanoid form as manaketes. They can tap into that power at will, but ...

[ a pause, like he was going to say something else, but. ]

The ones that don't, for whatever reason, inevitably go mad.

[divineth]

[Grima out here like "not all dragons"]

'Tis possibly a unique characteristic of the dragons that settled Etheirys eons ago.

[fellheart]

It's possible. Even with the Outrealms being a known phenomenon, seeing the linguistic overlaps and differences between differing worlds has been ... interesting, to say the least.

[ why, again, are most of the incantations here spoken in ancient valentian (which is basically corrupted latin or greek). ]