Hey! It's been like a month and a half. I got busy so it slipped my mind to contact you until now. What was it I said I'd give you more information on?
[ It was a matter of time before someone decided to contact him, and the Outsider isn't sure if he likes it. But he answered, and had been rewarded for doing so. I Was just ]
You were going to tell the tale of two fox-shaped gods.
Their tale, or the part I was involved with? [ Beat. ] I'll start with theirs, and you can decide if you want to know how I got involved in it.
What had to be at least a thousand years ago is about the time those two were running around. Kin and Gin, for all I know are twins. There isn't a whole lot of information about them, just some written things talking about how Kin was causing a lot of destruction. The papers were kinda vague, and in a much older version of the language, so The Leader thought the destruction was on a much bigger scale and -- I'm getting very ahead of myself.
Anyway, Kin, the fire aligned trickster god, would go around an area and start fires as a prank. After the humans and a few of the other local gods got on to him for it, his brother Gin tasked himself with at least warning people about the fires, by making smoke whenever something burned. This didn't do much to stop Kin though, because Kin started to set even bigger fires in stranger places - which, damage aside, I can respect that - and the last straw was when he caught a records room in a temple on fire and it engulfed the temple.
Kin doesn't have any proof that the humans didn't figure out how to do it on their own, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if one of the local gods - for example the one whose temple he burned to the ground - taught them how to seal him. Either way, they tricked him into a cave in the deepest section of the forest by spreading rumours that was where they were keeping something valuable, and then when he showed up they sealed him. He wouldn't go into much detail, because he's not stupid enough to teach a human how to re-seal him, but he did mention it was the type of seal that allowed him to be aware of what was going on around where he was while he was sealed. Which, for the record, was 'not much' for a really long time.
A few weeks after being sealed, Gin eventually found him and tried to release him, only the seal had conditions he couldn't fill. Basically, you needed to be a mortal to pull it off, and blood had to be given willingly. So he tried again and again to get the humans to release his brother, going so far as to bring in a human from another area with promises of a boon should they succeed.
They didn't succeed, and in fact betrayed Gin once they heard the plight of the locals. I don't have all the details of that, just what I gathered from even more vague and poorly translated papers, but the seal on him was one that made it so he could only be released by a mortal working with Kin. Which, seeing as how they figured no one would be stupid enough to work with Kin, means they intended for him to be trapped for forever.
Seeing as how Gin's prison was so much farther away from Kin's, I think they found a way to trick him half way across the island to find some non-existent magical item or something, but that's just speculation on my part. Let's just say going half an island away on one of the main islands a thousand years ago was not a feat to sneeze at.
Anyway, eventually the cult I got caught up in found Kin's seal, and for some reason I wasn't made aware of, I was the one chosen to spill blood to release him. I still kinda wonder about that, because The Leader was really insistent on it being me, and not anyone else when the others offered. We didn't even know how much blood was needed, or whether or not the amount of blood required would end in death. So I think about that a lot.
Lucky for me, it wasn't much blood, and honestly I likely lost more than was needed since the seal broke on the first drop and I'd cut open my whole damn hand. [ There's some exasperation there, and most of it is with herself. ] Kin came out of the stone he was sealed in with a burst of fire, and he looked at me, and instantly knew what I was doing, that I was a traitor to the cult, and decided it was a wonderful trick I was playing, and that he would help me if I helped him. And, if I pulled it all off in a way he approved of, he would even give me a boon.
I know accepting deals with a god you just met, especially a trickster god, is not the smartest thing, but not only was I desperate, I kinda gave a damn about the whole situation when he explained his brother had been sealed for trying to save him and... Well, a thousand years is a long time to be sealed away for trying to protect someone... In the end the most I had to lose was my life, because the type of gods Kin and Gin are don't really deal in souls.
Eventually we found those papers on Gin, and with a lot of work figured out where the cave he was sealed in was. I cut open my hand again, this time because I didn't have time to wait for a pinprick or anything, and Gin came out. Gin took one look at me, assumed Kin had tricked me, and was about to just eat me right then and there when Kin stopped him. The reunion was actually really nice. [ There's a hint of sentimentality to her voice. ] They really missed each other.
Then Kin turned around and ate The Leader, and Gin took care of the others who managed to make it that far down in the caves. Kin gave me the gift of flames, Gin made it clear he owed me nothing - which I agreed with -, and the both of them left in a burst of flames and smoke.
And then I was alone, at least for a little while.
[In your inbox is a digital invitation. When it opens balloons open up and float up across the screen. "You Are Invited" then a personal note inside that reads;]
Hey! We're having a 30th Birthday party at my siblings house and I thought you might be interested? It's a first for us. Birthday parties, I mean. Swing in if you get bored.
No gifts required. Drinks and food provided. Bring a friend or +1 or whoever you might like with you if you like.
[Address, date and time appear at the bottom of the note.]
As a responsible, caring member of the community, I heard your call and took it upon myself to collect as many Tales of the Outsider as possible. Tirelessly have I canvassed the streets of our cities, searching for those who have seen him! Endlessly have I questioned, bribed, and cajoled for their stories! And now, trusting in the power of your good organization to guard these precious memories, I bequeath my findings unto you. I hope that they may be of some use to you.
Please note: While I have endeavored to preserve the words exactly as they were spoken to me, I have removed all identifying details (name, occupation, species, etc.) from the following recollections. As this freed my sources to speak more candidly with me about our beloved Outsider, I hope you will not fault me for the decision.
With warmest regards and deepest admiration, The Joker
01. Today I waited in line behind the Outsider to buy a hot dog from a street vendor. He was very gracious. He uses too much mustard. His coin purse is shaped like a duck but does not quack when squeezed.
02. What big hands he has! Those are man-killing hands, mark my words.
03. Sure, I'm a dog-walker, right? So I walk a lot of dogs. Often walk them past the Outsider's place. Gives me the creeps, if you want to know the truth. Always feel like he's watching me. You ever feel that way?
04. Who among us cannot relate to the Outsider? He speaks for all of us! He is us.
05. I just want to say that I object strongly to the use of the term "Void." This word carries intensely negative connotations: a void is something that must be filled, for instance, and to void means to cancel or to empty. None of these capture my experiences with the sacred space created by the Outsider, in which I felt supremely full and seen. I propose that we change its name to Sublime, or perhaps Eternity.
06. The Outsider? Smells like cheese. The kind you get in a can.
07. He stole my parking spot, so I broke his fucking tail lights. I'll break more than that, too, the next time I see him. ...This is anonymous, right?
08. I had my stylist cut my hair to look just like Big O's, but I can't get the texture right. I've tried everything: waxes, gels, even a little mousse. Can anyone help? How does he get that swoop?
09. Once, long ago, the Outsider came to me in a dream. He told me of my future, and of secrets I thought I had forgotten. I wept, and when I woke, I vowed to change my life, and to prevent the fate he had foreseen from coming to pass. I sold my worldly possessions. I danced naked in the streets. I was arrested, and beaten, and now I await treatment in Bruce Wayne's upcoming facility. I have faith that the Outsider will save me. He will always save me.
10. I'll tell you a secret. He sent those text messages. You know the ones.
11. I don't understand the whales. What do they mean? I see them everywhere now, even when I'm awake.
12. Bless me, Outsider, for I have coveted my neighbor. And lo though I walk through the shadow of the valley of wrath, she shall fear no evil.
13. Listen, a couple of us are collecting specimens for the ritual. If you run into anybody who's got some of the Outsider's DNA, or maybe some personal effects, please tell them to reach out to me. I need it all by Wednesday at the latest. After that, it'll be too late.
14. Rats. Rats! Everywhere, rats. De Chima rats. Big rats. Rats in the water. They're coming.
15. I dreamed a dream of You, Outsider. And in the dream, the world was as it should be, shapeless and void. You see the null and the omega. You alone see the truth.
[she's been putting this off. boy, has she been putting this off. but really... it isn't right to do that in this world. and isn't right in general. so. she has stopped putting this off.]
Hello, Mr. Outsider. [...] Thank you very much for your assistance last month.
[there's a slight pause--so he didn't just show up and leave.]
It seemed the best thing to do. That thing had already hypnotized me once, and I knew it was capable of worse. I didn't want to give it the time to do that.
[and cecelia was freaking out--she'd wanted to end the threat as quickly as possible.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Voice
no subject
You were going to tell the tale of two fox-shaped gods.
no subject
What had to be at least a thousand years ago is about the time those two were running around. Kin and Gin, for all I know are twins. There isn't a whole lot of information about them, just some written things talking about how Kin was causing a lot of destruction. The papers were kinda vague, and in a much older version of the language, so The Leader thought the destruction was on a much bigger scale and -- I'm getting very ahead of myself.
Anyway, Kin, the fire aligned trickster god, would go around an area and start fires as a prank. After the humans and a few of the other local gods got on to him for it, his brother Gin tasked himself with at least warning people about the fires, by making smoke whenever something burned. This didn't do much to stop Kin though, because Kin started to set even bigger fires in stranger places - which, damage aside, I can respect that - and the last straw was when he caught a records room in a temple on fire and it engulfed the temple.
Kin doesn't have any proof that the humans didn't figure out how to do it on their own, but he said he wouldn't be surprised if one of the local gods - for example the one whose temple he burned to the ground - taught them how to seal him. Either way, they tricked him into a cave in the deepest section of the forest by spreading rumours that was where they were keeping something valuable, and then when he showed up they sealed him. He wouldn't go into much detail, because he's not stupid enough to teach a human how to re-seal him, but he did mention it was the type of seal that allowed him to be aware of what was going on around where he was while he was sealed. Which, for the record, was 'not much' for a really long time.
A few weeks after being sealed, Gin eventually found him and tried to release him, only the seal had conditions he couldn't fill. Basically, you needed to be a mortal to pull it off, and blood had to be given willingly. So he tried again and again to get the humans to release his brother, going so far as to bring in a human from another area with promises of a boon should they succeed.
They didn't succeed, and in fact betrayed Gin once they heard the plight of the locals. I don't have all the details of that, just what I gathered from even more vague and poorly translated papers, but the seal on him was one that made it so he could only be released by a mortal working with Kin. Which, seeing as how they figured no one would be stupid enough to work with Kin, means they intended for him to be trapped for forever.
Seeing as how Gin's prison was so much farther away from Kin's, I think they found a way to trick him half way across the island to find some non-existent magical item or something, but that's just speculation on my part. Let's just say going half an island away on one of the main islands a thousand years ago was not a feat to sneeze at.
Anyway, eventually the cult I got caught up in found Kin's seal, and for some reason I wasn't made aware of, I was the one chosen to spill blood to release him. I still kinda wonder about that, because The Leader was really insistent on it being me, and not anyone else when the others offered. We didn't even know how much blood was needed, or whether or not the amount of blood required would end in death. So I think about that a lot.
Lucky for me, it wasn't much blood, and honestly I likely lost more than was needed since the seal broke on the first drop and I'd cut open my whole damn hand. [ There's some exasperation there, and most of it is with herself. ] Kin came out of the stone he was sealed in with a burst of fire, and he looked at me, and instantly knew what I was doing, that I was a traitor to the cult, and decided it was a wonderful trick I was playing, and that he would help me if I helped him. And, if I pulled it all off in a way he approved of, he would even give me a boon.
I know accepting deals with a god you just met, especially a trickster god, is not the smartest thing, but not only was I desperate, I kinda gave a damn about the whole situation when he explained his brother had been sealed for trying to save him and... Well, a thousand years is a long time to be sealed away for trying to protect someone... In the end the most I had to lose was my life, because the type of gods Kin and Gin are don't really deal in souls.
Eventually we found those papers on Gin, and with a lot of work figured out where the cave he was sealed in was. I cut open my hand again, this time because I didn't have time to wait for a pinprick or anything, and Gin came out. Gin took one look at me, assumed Kin had tricked me, and was about to just eat me right then and there when Kin stopped him. The reunion was actually really nice. [ There's a hint of sentimentality to her voice. ] They really missed each other.
Then Kin turned around and ate The Leader, and Gin took care of the others who managed to make it that far down in the caves. Kin gave me the gift of flames, Gin made it clear he owed me nothing - which I agreed with -, and the both of them left in a burst of flames and smoke.
And then I was alone, at least for a little while.
I wonder how they're doing.
[9/20/19 e-invite]
Hey! We're having a 30th Birthday party at my siblings house and I thought you might be interested? It's a first for us. Birthday parties, I mean. Swing in if you get bored.
No gifts required. Drinks and food provided. Bring a friend or +1 or whoever you might like with you if you like.
[Address, date and time appear at the bottom of the note.]
no subject
OUTSIDER ZINE
Delivered in hard copy, with a handwritten note.
As a responsible, caring member of the community, I heard your call and took it upon myself to collect as many Tales of the Outsider as possible. Tirelessly have I canvassed the streets of our cities, searching for those who have seen him! Endlessly have I questioned, bribed, and cajoled for their stories! And now, trusting in the power of your good organization to guard these precious memories, I bequeath my findings unto you. I hope that they may be of some use to you.
Please note: While I have endeavored to preserve the words exactly as they were spoken to me, I have removed all identifying details (name, occupation, species, etc.) from the following recollections. As this freed my sources to speak more candidly with me about our beloved Outsider, I hope you will not fault me for the decision.
With warmest regards and deepest admiration,
The Joker
01. Today I waited in line behind the Outsider to buy a hot dog from a street vendor. He was very gracious. He uses too much mustard. His coin purse is shaped like a duck but does not quack when squeezed.
02. What big hands he has! Those are man-killing hands, mark my words.
03. Sure, I'm a dog-walker, right? So I walk a lot of dogs. Often walk them past the Outsider's place. Gives me the creeps, if you want to know the truth. Always feel like he's watching me. You ever feel that way?
04. Who among us cannot relate to the Outsider? He speaks for all of us! He is us.
05. I just want to say that I object strongly to the use of the term "Void." This word carries intensely negative connotations: a void is something that must be filled, for instance, and to void means to cancel or to empty. None of these capture my experiences with the sacred space created by the Outsider, in which I felt supremely full and seen. I propose that we change its name to Sublime, or perhaps Eternity.
06. The Outsider? Smells like cheese. The kind you get in a can.
07. He stole my parking spot, so I broke his fucking tail lights. I'll break more than that, too, the next time I see him. ...This is anonymous, right?
08. I had my stylist cut my hair to look just like Big O's, but I can't get the texture right. I've tried everything: waxes, gels, even a little mousse. Can anyone help? How does he get that swoop?
09. Once, long ago, the Outsider came to me in a dream. He told me of my future, and of secrets I thought I had forgotten. I wept, and when I woke, I vowed to change my life, and to prevent the fate he had foreseen from coming to pass. I sold my worldly possessions. I danced naked in the streets. I was arrested, and beaten, and now I await treatment in Bruce Wayne's upcoming facility. I have faith that the Outsider will save me. He will always save me.
10. I'll tell you a secret. He sent those text messages. You know the ones.
11. I don't understand the whales. What do they mean? I see them everywhere now, even when I'm awake.
12. Bless me, Outsider, for I have coveted my neighbor. And lo though I walk through the shadow of the valley of wrath, she shall fear no evil.
13. Listen, a couple of us are collecting specimens for the ritual. If you run into anybody who's got some of the Outsider's DNA, or maybe some personal effects, please tell them to reach out to me. I need it all by Wednesday at the latest. After that, it'll be too late.
14. Rats. Rats! Everywhere, rats. De Chima rats. Big rats. Rats in the water. They're coming.
15. I dreamed a dream of You, Outsider. And in the dream, the world was as it should be, shapeless and void. You see the null and the omega. You alone see the truth.
text;
May I ask you a question?
no subject
If it's an interesting one.
no subject
I'd wondered if you had direct contact or control over those who seem to worship you, and if I may borrow some of them?
I'm trying to build a gate.
no subject
But do with them what you wish. I'm sure a resourseful girl like you can think of some way to persuade them.
What kind of a gate?
no subject
I really ought to return to Ohtori Academy. I'm hoping I can revolutionize this world. Having a gate helps.
no subject
no subject
In all honesty, I'm not sure at all what may or may not work, to that end. Simply waiting is becoming dull, though. What harm can there be to try?
untraceable text
s-e•-:-g-r
o-g•-s•
w-f•-h-a
o•-h-o
t-a-’-t-e
g-c-o-s-r•-r-a
c-h-h-h-m
c-o
Voice
Hello, Mr. Outsider. [...] Thank you very much for your assistance last month.
no subject
[ It's not a question; he was watching. ]
no subject
It seemed the best thing to do. That thing had already hypnotized me once, and I knew it was capable of worse. I didn't want to give it the time to do that.
[and cecelia was freaking out--she'd wanted to end the threat as quickly as possible.]