Zeno (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
eternalshield) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
thenearshore2016-11-07 09:38 am
eternalshield) wrote in thenearshore2016-11-07 09:38 am
[open]
Who: Zeno & you
What: Story time!
When: May 13, 2016
Where: out and about
Warnings: N/A as of now.
You know what all gods have in common? At least in Zeno's experience.
[Zeno is carrying an armful of brightly-colored fruit, and looking for people to bother. Not bother. He's looking for information, and he thinks he'll get more out of them if he happens to talking directly, face-to-face, than those instant letters the objects do.
So he's caught up with you, and pressed some of this delicious fruit into your hands.]
All gods have stories told about them, over and over again, so that all the details are fuzzy and incomplete but amazingly, all the important things stay the same. Zeno's favorite is about this one god, who decided he wanted to be human. Zeno will tell it, then you tell a story about a god!
[He deliberately muddies the details on some of these characters-- no dragons, no dragon blood, no powers. He doesn't want Shin-ah and Jae-Ha to recognize themselves if they hear this.]
It all went splendidly for a little while, but then he was getting chased by all these people, you know? For some reason, they didn't like him. So he ran and he ran, with an angry mob right behind, sometimes he lost them and sometimes they were gaining on him, but all of a sudden, a warrior appeared.
The warrior lashed back, and with his help, the god felt like he could fight back, too. So he grasped his sword, and together, they got themselves enough time and enough space to get away for a little while.
[Here, have more fruit. He's starting to get into the rhythm of this story.]
The warrior hated to see the god outnumbered, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You put your own body between them and me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The warrior thought for a long time, before saying, "Justice for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
But the god was so tired! So he only got a little way further before he collapsed. When he awoke, a lord was tucking the bedsheets more closely around him. The lord was about to offer him refreshment, when one of his own servants came in to admonish him-- he hadn't slept at all! And spent his entire night tending to the god's bedside.
The lord hated to see the god broken down on the road, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your bed for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The lord thought for a long time, before saying, "Comfort for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
But it wasn't long before the god was tired again. His home was far away now that he'd been chased so far, and he didn't have time to sleep again. He needed to get back soon, but the pain he was in was so plain for all to see, that a wanderer stopped alongside him, and insisted the god get up onto his horse.
The wanderer hated to see the god struggling, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your seat on this horse for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
[This story is taking a lot out of him. He pauses to take a bite of his own fruit, and savors the taste a moment before continuing. The story has fallen into its pattern now, it's not like his listener is in suspense.]
The wanderer thought for a long time, before saying "Freedom for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
The god had covered some distance now, but still he was weak and weary, nearing collapse yet again.
[This is the part of the story Zeno knows best, and a few more details spill out, but he restrains himself to the legend's rhythm even so.]
His stomach was growling terribly! So terribly that an oracle heard it, and approached him. The oracle was taking a big cart of freshly-harvested fruits and vegetables to market, but he wouldn't let the god have them. Instead, he gave the god his own rations of dried fish and dumplings, because others were counting on him to sell the fruits and vegetables for their livelihood.
Still, the oracle hated to see the god starving. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your own food for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The oracle thought for a long time, before saying "Happiness for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on, thinking much about these humans he chose to live among.
Later, when the mob caught up with him, the other gods saw and were angry, and they demanded the right to destroy the humans. But the god begged them not to, he'd grown to love them so. He thought about the kindnesses shown to him by the four men he met while running, and for that reason, he believed all humans were worth protecting, and he was ever and always proud to be one.
[Zeno takes another bite of fruit, before finishing up.]
Anyway, it's Zeno's favorite god story, and it's more interesting than the ones about Zeno and the time Zeno couldn't make the object send the right message to someone. [He holds up his phone as an illustration of "object."] What's your favorite? Is it about a god you know here? Or a god you've only heard of? Or maybe you and another god did something really cool!
[Mostly, he's hoping someone will come up with a story about Amaterasu, sooner or later! But even if they don't, he's interested to listen to people talk about themselves, gods they knew, or gods they worshiped back home. There's no waste of time here.]
What: Story time!
When: May 13, 2016
Where: out and about
Warnings: N/A as of now.
You know what all gods have in common? At least in Zeno's experience.
[Zeno is carrying an armful of brightly-colored fruit, and looking for people to bother. Not bother. He's looking for information, and he thinks he'll get more out of them if he happens to talking directly, face-to-face, than those instant letters the objects do.
So he's caught up with you, and pressed some of this delicious fruit into your hands.]
All gods have stories told about them, over and over again, so that all the details are fuzzy and incomplete but amazingly, all the important things stay the same. Zeno's favorite is about this one god, who decided he wanted to be human. Zeno will tell it, then you tell a story about a god!
[He deliberately muddies the details on some of these characters-- no dragons, no dragon blood, no powers. He doesn't want Shin-ah and Jae-Ha to recognize themselves if they hear this.]
It all went splendidly for a little while, but then he was getting chased by all these people, you know? For some reason, they didn't like him. So he ran and he ran, with an angry mob right behind, sometimes he lost them and sometimes they were gaining on him, but all of a sudden, a warrior appeared.
The warrior lashed back, and with his help, the god felt like he could fight back, too. So he grasped his sword, and together, they got themselves enough time and enough space to get away for a little while.
[Here, have more fruit. He's starting to get into the rhythm of this story.]
The warrior hated to see the god outnumbered, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You put your own body between them and me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The warrior thought for a long time, before saying, "Justice for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
But the god was so tired! So he only got a little way further before he collapsed. When he awoke, a lord was tucking the bedsheets more closely around him. The lord was about to offer him refreshment, when one of his own servants came in to admonish him-- he hadn't slept at all! And spent his entire night tending to the god's bedside.
The lord hated to see the god broken down on the road, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your bed for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The lord thought for a long time, before saying, "Comfort for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
But it wasn't long before the god was tired again. His home was far away now that he'd been chased so far, and he didn't have time to sleep again. He needed to get back soon, but the pain he was in was so plain for all to see, that a wanderer stopped alongside him, and insisted the god get up onto his horse.
The wanderer hated to see the god struggling, you see. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your seat on this horse for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
[This story is taking a lot out of him. He pauses to take a bite of his own fruit, and savors the taste a moment before continuing. The story has fallen into its pattern now, it's not like his listener is in suspense.]
The wanderer thought for a long time, before saying "Freedom for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on.
The god had covered some distance now, but still he was weak and weary, nearing collapse yet again.
[This is the part of the story Zeno knows best, and a few more details spill out, but he restrains himself to the legend's rhythm even so.]
His stomach was growling terribly! So terribly that an oracle heard it, and approached him. The oracle was taking a big cart of freshly-harvested fruits and vegetables to market, but he wouldn't let the god have them. Instead, he gave the god his own rations of dried fish and dumplings, because others were counting on him to sell the fruits and vegetables for their livelihood.
Still, the oracle hated to see the god starving. It was unfair. But the god was amazed, he said "You gave up your own food for me. If there's a way I can repay you, please, please tell it to me."
The oracle thought for a long time, before saying "Happiness for you and for all, that's all I could wish for." And he bade the god farewell, and the god continued on, thinking much about these humans he chose to live among.
Later, when the mob caught up with him, the other gods saw and were angry, and they demanded the right to destroy the humans. But the god begged them not to, he'd grown to love them so. He thought about the kindnesses shown to him by the four men he met while running, and for that reason, he believed all humans were worth protecting, and he was ever and always proud to be one.
[Zeno takes another bite of fruit, before finishing up.]
Anyway, it's Zeno's favorite god story, and it's more interesting than the ones about Zeno and the time Zeno couldn't make the object send the right message to someone. [He holds up his phone as an illustration of "object."] What's your favorite? Is it about a god you know here? Or a god you've only heard of? Or maybe you and another god did something really cool!
[Mostly, he's hoping someone will come up with a story about Amaterasu, sooner or later! But even if they don't, he's interested to listen to people talk about themselves, gods they knew, or gods they worshiped back home. There's no waste of time here.]
no subject
The moral at the end sounds about right!! [Zeno laughs a little. It's not a happy story at all, but the details...]
Zeno is confused on one matter, though. Perhaps better attention should have been paid-- but the man [Zeno will not call him a god, just as he never called the star of his story a man] and the hatred he stewed in-- did it stem from losing his family, or was that just the way he always was? Since it was mentioned before that, Zeno isn't sure.
[He gulps down the orange slice, though, barely chewing it. Imagining the man facing the abyss of eternity all alone... the world having ended around him... he's had nightmares like that.]
no subject
Had he even been happy before?]
Just... born bad, I guess. [It was as much a lie as a truth, but maybe anything deeper would connect him too much to the story. Or make it too real. It was supposed to be a story, after all.]
At least, that's what I've been told.
no subject
Zeno wonders how other people have told it. [Breaking off another section of his orange and eating it.]
Anyone would weep at that final fate, Zeno thinks. Stories are funny, because you can tell someone about something they'll never experience, like the entire world ending around them, but you tell them and they can feel exactly what it'd be like.
no subject
[Unless they had speculated among each other, but Dio never heard of that happening.]
I suppose stories are a way of sharing experiences, though in the end we can only imagine those feelings.
no subject
[Was that the last of the orange? Yes.]
They must not have thought it was important. [And Zeno doesn't see it as such. If you take the story as a whole, the important part is the end, where what he wants isn't what he imagined and everyone else is gone.]
Or they forgot. That might even be more likely,
no subject
It was weird, and isolating. He was trying not to think about it.
He still hasn't touched his fruit, simply turning it over in his hands and wondering if Masaki would like it.]
I suppose where hatred comes from isn't important. What is important is to know how it poisons you.
And perhaps they didn't forget, but it was simply never a story to tell. A shame, but that's how things go. The most interesting parts are handed down, and whatever isn't interesting is simply washed away by time.
[He sighed at that, shrugging his shoulders.]
Thank you for listening, in any case.
no subject
[Hatred is such a weird concept to him now. It takes a lot of energy, and spread out over as much time as he has... well, it would be a waste of the said energy. It would be a good story, worth retelling, if only it conveyed that to the people who didn't live very long at all.]
Don't think of it as the most interesting parts. [Even as he remembers the parts of his story that didn't get passed down... not even by the three men's own tribes and villages. The story he told today certainly isn't the most popular version of the legend of King Hiryuu and the Four Dragon Warriors; Zeno hasn't heard it told this way in a very long time.] Usually, what comes down are the things the listeners need most.