pragmatism | upcycle inbox

[The weather has been getting increasingly colder, enough so that even Anastasia was starting to feel the bite and chill of it. Though she does notice how one individual isn't being affected, and considering his attempts to blend in as a human, he's not really helping himself...

The gloves and scarf she makes are in shades of amber, brown and black - sufficient enough to look warming, and soft to the touch. This should be enough, and with that she goes to track down one certain man. Immediately hurrying over when she spots Zhongli among the snowfall, the younger woman bundled in a scarf and gloves of her own, blackened wings wrapped around her.

And once she's close enough, she immediately holds out the garments to him - expression unreadable, mostly due to how she's got half her face hidden by her scarf.]

Take this. You're gonna get people asking about how you're dressed if you walk around like that.

[ The fact that Zhongli should probably be wearing more clothes seems to be lost on him, though it's not out of negligence - the thought of taking up resources that could go to someone else doesn't sit right with him, both from a moral and economical perspective.

That is, until Anastasia approaches him and foists some in his general direction. He had not expected her to show so much amiability to him, considering her unexplained terseness whenever they ran into each other, but maybe she's softening up a little bit. ]

Ah, [ he says gently, to convey pleasant surprise, ] These are for me?

[ Yes, they are. ]

Then, I am in your debt.

[ He'll take them, folding the scarf around him and pulling his ponytail out so that it wouldn't be wrapped onto his neck. The colours fit his usual outfit quite well. ]

[The garments are held to him with a silent, expectant look - she knows how out of place this seems, with how she's been... coldly polite. Yet her expression betrays nothing, only watching as he puts on the scarf, quietly pleased that the colours all go together. Good.

But now he's talking about "being in her debt" and her brows immediately furrow, shaking her head as her lips pinch into a thin line. Ah, how to word this without embarrassing herself.]

No. It's... [She trails off, heaving a sigh as her wings tense then relax behind her - an action that almost seems nervous.]

... It's just that I know I've been tense with you, for no apparent reason.

[So this is an apology, in a way. Not that she's willing to actually say it, but it's a step in the right direction???]

[ Many people have been hostile to him upon first meeting for various reasons - being on opposite sides, believing in unbased rumours, or simply because of natural dislike. Zhongli does not pay it too much mind, because he remembers everything that he has done, and he is always careful to adhere to his principles. He wouldn't do anything wrong. Thus it reflects on the person's own character whether they choose to keep holding their grudge or change their mind. The fact that Anastasia has let it go somewhat shows him that she is willing to think critically. ]

You must have your own reasons.

[ calmly, as if he didn't mind at all. Though, if she's willing to make up with him, then it would mean that he might be able to rely on her to get things done in the future. ]

All our titles back home lose their meaning in a foreign world. [ It's an oblique way of telling her that he keeps his status hidden. ] I do not see it necessary for others to treat me with unnecessary reverence.

[He's right, she does have her reasons but she knows she shouldn't apply them to gods from worlds that aren't even her own. But feelings always ran deep in her, and it's hard to let old habits go. But she wants to try - mentally telling herself that maybe this is what Ran and Sonali would want her to do.

Best not to think about that, lest she fall into another terrible bout of homesickness. Simply sighing heavily, arms still crossed tightly as she shrugs a shoulder. If he's hiding his status, then she has no reason to treat him like other deities. Or be suspect of him in general.]

See, that's what I figured. You aren't like the beings I know. [Who demand worship, who send their children to fight their battles for them. Who abandon their subjects, leaving them to commit horrible cruelties.]

So I... Apologize - [gritted out] - for assuming you're like them.

Thank you for the dagger, Zhongli. I'm sure it'll come in use, and I promise to be careful with it.

Merry Christmas.

[ That's what people should say for this occasion, right? He's heard it from various younger people. ]

Were you the person who sent those books to me?

Thank you.

[Look at Zhongli learning the slang of the youth. ]

Haha, suppose it wasn't my most subtle of gifts. That's right.

I am touched that you thought of me. Such a custom is not practiced in my homeland.

[ Or maybe children are used to this sort of thing? Receiving, and giving gifts. Kids don't have an income to buy things with, after all. ]

What is more remarkable to me is that this world managed to source and deliver such things in a timely manner.

Haha, well to tell you the truth this is the first time I've ever done this particular tradition with Christmas, so it's pretty new to me too.

[The gift giving part. Not the Christmas part.]

Mm, I'm surprised by that too. Usually it takes more work to get something to come here. But maybe since there's so many people from Earth here and it is a major holiday, they put in the extra effort to pull it off.

[ So there is still some way of transmission between worlds, and specific at that too. Zhongli had elected to give Jun a more personal present, which is why he didn't rely on the list. ]

I made that dagger by hand in this world. It was not taken by whatever processed the lists. I did not trust the island to truly understand what I require when it comes to important things.

You did?

[Jun is stunned for a moment because way to drop how you just casually made a high quality dagger--

But then he remembers, oh right. He's a god. Gods can do stuff like that.]

I hadn't realized. Thank you for putting in the effort.

It was no trouble.

[ Because he is a god, obviously. ]

will have much to think about once I have finished the books you have sent me.

[ A glance at the content page tells him that human civilization existed for about as long as he has lived. How would a world not under Celestia's oppression fare? ]

Haha, take your time! It's not homework, really. I just picked them because you seem like the type that enjoys non-fiction, and those books could explain Earth's history in better detail than I could. Most of my education was based on scripture and events left out of history books.

[Jun "Knows the answers to many famous unsolved mysteries, but who the frick-frack is Julius Caesar" Kohinata]

[ Scripture and events left out of history... well. Isn't that a somber thing to think about. Even the tide of time will be twisted by the thoughts of those who record it, which is why it is of the utmost importance that an unbiased version be preserved.

But even the immovable mountains will crumble someday. Who will record the history of gods that have departed this world? ]

History is written by the victors of battle. As tales are retold, they become embellished and distorted over time. Developing the skill to critically assess history is important.

[ ... this isn't really a reply to what Jun sent him, though. Is he in lecturing mode again? ]

[Yeah that definitely sounds a bit of a lecture, and jun will confirm it as such.]

That sounds like something my history teacher would say.

[He had no real strong opinion on it. The secret history he knew wasn't one he could share with the public. There was just no changing that, even if he's had a few more dissenting thoughts about the Underground's secrecy that he once did.]

I have seen many things which humans later go on to spin into a completely different tale.

[ The most recent one that comes to mind is the fate of the Salt God, Havria. Over time, Yinyuan Hall co-opted her legend and chose to believe that Morax assassinated her, where the truth was that she was killed by her own people. ]

Time and tide will erase away all that exists in the form of physical records. The question of how to preserve history free from human bias is a perpetual one.

upcycle inbox

time to get grandpa dressed for winter like a hooman | Action

ty ana

no subject

no subject

no subject

Text; un: kohinata-vi

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject