Day 123 [OPEN]

[bastionmods]

Who: Everyone
Open: Open
When: Day 123
Where: All over the Bastion
What: Obligatory "We just got more people/survived a hellish experience" mingle log!
Format: Your choice!
Warnings: Shouldn't be any?

[So the past few days in the Bastion have been very hectic and a little more than emotionally stressful for everyone. About two days have come and gone since the last very large batch of arrivals have come in to the Bastion, and thankfully since then it's been relatively quiet. It's a good time to compress, meet some new people and maybe have some good food at the distillery courtesy of Rin.]

Comments

[croceamors]

[It's a good thing she keeps going, because it's clear from the look on Saix's face that "just doing it" isn't a good enough answer for him. He listens carefully as she does her best to explain. For once, he actually wants to understand these ridiculous and idealistic thoughts that people have instead of just dismissing them outright. It's just... difficult to do so.]

By fixating on the possible positives, aren't you opening yourself up to being taken advantage of by the things which could create those bad possibilities? Isn't keeping an eye on the worst simply being cautious?

[thirdoutofthree]

Well yeah, you shouldn't totally ignore the bad possibilities. [ She offered, trying to mitigate blatant optimism with a healthy amount of pragmatism. ]

It's important to be cautious too, but... [ She groped for an example. ] Well, it's like with people. If you're always cautious about them, they'll notice and they'll think you don't like them or you don't trust them. And if they think you don't trust them, they won't trust you either.

[ She motioned vaguely with her hands, still smiling a bit. ] So, even though it's possible that bad things might happen, I think it's better to believe that good things could happen instead.

[croceamors]

[...He's always cautious with other people, too. This is going to be a lot more difficult than he originally thought, isn't it? Saix sighs.]

I see... [Not really.] That sounds as though it would be easier for some people than others.

[thirdoutofthree]

[ You've got your work cut out for you, Saix. ]

[ That remark makes Viola laugh. ] Yeah, it's not in everybody's nature. It takes some practice, but it's worth the effort.

[croceamors]

[Yeah, he is, like, 45% sure he is fucked.]

Did it come easily for you, then?

[thirdoutofthree]

It usually does. [ She admitted. ] But sometimes things get so bad that it feels like nothing good will ever happen again.

[croceamors]

So. What then?

[thirdoutofthree]

[ She offered a shrug. ]

Well, I usually try to give myself some time away from everybody else when that happens. [ She laughed. ] It was a lot easier when I could just go back home to my ranch. You don't realize how set you are in your ways until you're living with other people again.

[ But she digresses. Now she'll try to get back on topic. ] Eventually I manage to remind myself that nothing's that hopeless that all the good in the world is gone.

[croceamors]

[Saix takes a few moments to think on the concept, looking back up towards the stars. He hadn't quite realized to what extent he had been set in his own ways, either, not until he actually tried to reach out to others instead of just tolerating them. Having to actually apologize for once had been enough of a shock. There's one thing he knows for a fact, however- isolating himself surely had something to do with his current predicament. But who exactly could he go to...?]

[Saix sighs.]

I suppose that is a point... And even if it appears that way, Light eventually returns. The moon has done that for centuries, after all.

[thirdoutofthree]

[ Viola followed his gaze upward, noticing for the first time that there was no moon here. That was a sad fact. ]

I never thought of it like that. [ She admitted. ] I guess it's never totally dark out thanks to the moon.

[ Although it never seems to get completely dark here in the first place, but that was beside the point. ]

[croceamors]

Even when it's a new moon where you can't see it, it never stops being there. It's actually an interesting study in Light and Dark.

[Oops, is he getting his nerd on, sorry Viola]

Some cultures certainly noticed it, associating the new moon with ignorance and the full moon with enlightenment. It was constantly changing, as well, with the lunar phases. You could make the comparison with the good in individuals as well, couldn't you? For some, it's constantly changing inside of themselves. Very few are completely good, or completely evil. They're constantly waning and waxing.

I wonder what it says in this metaphor that the light of the moon isn't its own?

[thirdoutofthree]

[ Viola wasn't about to admit that she'd never really thought much about the moon as anything other than an object in the sky, but what Saix said got her thinking. ]

It kind of sounds like a mirror to me. [ She offered, although well aware that she wasn't much good at metaphors. She's a simple woman, okay. ] It shows you what you can't see when it's dark out.

[croceamors]

[Saix thinks about the moon a lot. More than is possibly recommended.]

Without the moon and its reflected light, the night becomes a much more treacherous sort of thing to deal with.

[thirdoutofthree]

You can always light a candle. [ She offers with a shrug. ] Not as good as the moon, but it works in a pinch.

[ She folds her arms behind her head and leans back. ] I wouldn't chance going into a totally dark night without some kind of light. Those are always the times when you run into more than you bargained for.

[croceamors]

Yes... Sometimes your inner light is more valuable for times such as those instead of just candles.

[But Darkness was a bit of a different beast where he comes from.]

[thirdoutofthree]

Inner light? [ She opens on eye. ] You mean like, being optimistic?

[croceamors]

No... I suppose that's another thing they're not familiar with on your World.

[thirdoutofthree]

[ Now the other eye is open. ] Huh? Did you mean that literally?

[croceamors]

In a way. Another way to say it might be "good and evil" but that is simplifying things greatly.

[thirdoutofthree]

Sounds complicated. I'm not sure I follow.

[croceamors]

Everyone has Light and Darkness inside of them. Sometimes they're equal, sometimes one is more than the other. It depends on the person. Some things encourage Darkness or Light more.

For example... Would you say anger is good or bad?

[thirdoutofthree]

[ Viola furrowed her brows. ]

Well.. neither, honestly. I think it's what you do when you're angry that would be good or bad.

[croceamors]

A decent answer. It's true, as well. Anger can be for good or bad, depending on the person and the circumstances. However, too much anger... Would you say there's such a thing?

[thirdoutofthree]

I dunno. [ She admitted. ] Maybe when it makes you lose control and hurt people you care about. But it can also drive you to do something really good.

[ She shifted in the onsen. ] Back home, my friend Jazz was the leader of a group of rebels who wanted to overthrow the ruler of our country. Count Waltz forced most of the people in Jazz's hometown to work in the mines and he killed anyone that resisted. Jazz spent years working against Waltz while trying to keep the rest of his friends safe. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the woman he loved was actually Waltz's spy and Waltz had her assassinated when her secret got out.

[ Viola paused for a moment. ] I can't even begin to imagine how much anger and hatred Jazz felt towards Waltz for all those years. Yeah, his rebellion helped the people of Forte and saved countless lives, but I don't think it was a selfless act of heroism for Jazz. Not completely. If a bunch of my friends and family were murdered, I'd want revenge too. I think I'd carry that anger around forever, even after the murderer got what he deserved.

[croceamors]

[...Saix really never meant to bring out someone's backstory, but he still listens. Viola is the first person he's really had a conversation like this with in a while now, so he holds back on his usual 'bad personality'.]

Well, I did say that it depended on the circumstances and individual. If he started to show no care for those who worked alongside him or were close to him, then you would say he was losing himself too much to that anger, wouldn't you?