[ me: omg am i getting a reveal i'm so excited to see
also me: I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS IS ]
Oh --
[ genuine surprise flies across xie lian's face, immediately, as goat reaches up to pull their mask off...! ]
...Oh. [ he says, again, touched, and then, that surprise shifts into a smile. xie lian reaches up to touch his own face where goat's mask was, warmth flooding into his tone. ] ---Brother Goat... how nice it is, to see you face to face.
[ he shifts, moving to clasp his fist to his hand, to bow to him, a little more properly in greeting. ] ...Your words and actions both honor me, my friend.
i mean. xie lian shakes his head, to that, and his smile stays. ] That isn't true. You entrusted me with the power in the first place, even if I haven't used it successfully yet, and you've given me guidance, and comfort, often in times when I needed it, even when I didn't say so.
There are people who pray to gods for less, you know. [ that last bit is said a little bit teasingly. ]
[ wow maybe zia or francy play an obscure character nobody else would recognize!
yea it's jan ]
Praying to the gods, is it... [ he looks thoughtful for a moment. ] I suppose that may be true. Still, those are things only natural to give, are they not?
I like to think they are, but...does those things being natural mean that they are not worthy of gratitude? I think the things that are taken for granted sometimes deserve it even more.
xie lian smiles gently, fondly pleased, and dips his head. ] And I will do my best to live up to the high expectations you have for me.
...I do have some questions for you, but, we can talk tomorrow evening, since we will see each other then. It seems like you need your rest - and you must be busy, with everything that's been going on.
Haha. I might be old, but I'm not so easily tired out, you know.
[ xie lian smiles at that! ] We don't have to talk about the Realm. Perhaps we can share a memory, as we've become wont to do. I think I have some cookies or something around here, somewhere...
[ is he digging around in his sleeves and not in his dresser...? yeah, you bet ]
[ this is why xie lian and goat get along this well, unfortunately
xie lian makes a little "aha!" noise, and pulls out a pack of ore*s! well, a sleeve of them. the bottom of them are a little crushed? i'm sure they're okay. ] Here, the snacks here are so interesting! I can't eat many of them, because they're quite sweet, compared to anything I would eat at home, but they're delicious.
[ he hops up from his spot and shuffles over to offer them to goat! ]
I'm not sure if I have anything in mind, this time. What kind of memory would you like to hear about, Brother Goat?
In my realm, all gods were once humans - they 'ascend' to the Heavenly Realm. There are a few different ways one can ascend - the less common and usually less powerful gods often ascend because they reach a state of immortality through cultivating their spirits. The most powerful ones tend to ascend because of acts of great intelligence, battle strength, or sacrifice, or because someone in the Heavens saw their potential in one category or another.
I ascended for the first time when I was seventeen. [ ... ha ha.
ha.... ] ...And then I descended. ... And then I ascended again when I was in my twenties, and then descended about thirty minutes later... and then ascended again.... and, uh... that's where we are now.
Well... there were two events that happened within fairly quick succession of each other - about a month apart, or so. I hope you're ready for a bit of a story - and that you'll forgive that I may forget some details. It was quite some time ago.
[ there's a little playfulness to that, as he begins to launch into the story. this tag is gonna be so long i apologize so much. ]
...There are four ascensions that are the most famous among humans, in my land, known as the Four Great Tales. The General Who Broke His Sword; The Princess Who Slit Her Throat; The Young Lord Who Poured Wine; and lastly, The Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods.
The last one is me.
...A very long time ago, as the crown prince of the kingdom of Xian Le, I was chosen to play the part of the God-pleasing Martial Warrior in a parade for the Lantern Festival, a day in which humans show their appreciation and ask for blessings from the gods. The parade itself is sacred; each lap that the parade makes is said to represent a year of blessed and peaceful reign for the royal family of Xian Le. In the parade, as the God-pleasing warrior, I was to have a choreographed fight with another combatant, dressed as a terrible ghost, for each lap of the parade, while wearing the ceremonial costumes of the kingdom. It was very heavy, and I was supposed to keep my face covered with a golden mask the entire time, because the people of Xian Le hadn't seen my face yet, as well.
...I was a bit late. [ xie lian laughs, a little. ] But, I leapt down from a ten-meter tower to make it onto the parade route, and supposedly, it looked as if I had descended from the Heavens.
Once it began, we were only supposed to be fighting with a seventh or so of our strength, but the person playing the ghost, at the time, was rather competitive. [ that's a fond, old memory, soaked in something bittersweet; and considering the circumstances, he's glad that it's one he still has. ] So, he gave it his all - and so did I. It turned into quite the martial battle, instead of a play.
We made it about three laps around the entire kingdom, battling nonstop - but when we were coming near the imperial palace to start another, there was a ruckus from the city walls, where the citizens of Xian Le had gathered to watch the parade, hundreds of feet above the ground. I remember hearing a terrible scream, and when I looked up from the battle, I saw a child, falling from the wall - that high up, he was falling to his death.
[ and xie lian's gut instinct -- well, what do you expect from him, at this point? ] ...So, I abandoned the routine, jumped up from the ground, and I caught him safely in my arms.
[ and now, he can recall that too; the dirt streaked, tiny little thing, clinging to the front of his shirt for dear life. the tiny child, hong-er, who sobbed and screamed weeks later when the whole world turned on him - and xie lian protected him then, too. he remembers whispering hold on tight as he landed, and faced mu qing once more.
maybe he didn't change the fate of xian le, but he likes to think maybe, at least that day, he helped change the fate of that child for the better. at least a little. ]
I finished the rest of the fight with him in my arms.
[ he nods along to indicate that he's listening (xie lian may come to realize that goat tends to look a bit zoned out, otherwise).
also, gonna be honest, his memory can be terrible even without amnesia, so he's probably not going to recall all the details of that parade. but the part he focuses on is-- ]
... Was the child all right? Falling like that must have been frightening... It's a good thing you saved him.
He was completely unharmed - I was able to use my spiritual energy to cushion the blow for the both of us, so.
[ xie lian has a smile for goat, then, warm and fond. ] I could hardly get him to let go of me, when all was said and done, and that was not the last I saw of him, either. It's funny you should ask so, actually - that child was remarkably hardy. Almost stubbornly so, despite being so small for his age.
[ wonder what happened to him, that little red themed child who only had one eye................................
coughs. ]
The kingdom was in a fuss after it all, especially - um. There was someone in the palace, who was especially mad, but I can't seem to recall who he was... or many of the details of it, but there was a whole thing about it being a bad omen.
Bad omen or not, I'm glad that I saved his life. I would do the same thing, if I had the chance to redo it.
Mm. To put some astrological nonsense of "fate" before the life of a living person is ridiculous. [ ...well, he has some strong feelings about that, even now! it comes out a bit more strongly than it should have. there's someone that maybe would've scolded him for speaking that way, once, but he can't remember them right now. ]
...Anyway - um, that was what caught the gods attention, though I believe it was moreso the fighting than it was the act of saving that child. I ascended about a month later, when I fought a Wrath-level demon and prevented it from destroying Xian Le.
I still don't fully understand how the ascension works or the nature of godhood in your world or what a "Wrath-level" demon means... but it all sounds very impressive.
[ a pause ]
Though, as skilled as you must be, I think saving that child is more worthy of attention than the fighting. [ no offence. ] The gods of your world sound as though they have strange priorities.
...I suppose I got a little far off of the question, didn't I...?
[ hahaha... oops. he laughs, a little sheepishly, and tries for the tl;dr: ]
Basically... ascending is based on action. Everyone who ascends is a god of something - usually either a martial god, or a medicine god, or a literature god, though there are some others. People worship them based on whatever they want to pray for, or what they find most compelling - in my time, I have always been a martial god, so warriors prayed to me most often, but I was also more or less the patron god of Xian Le, so, anyone would come to me for that.
And... [ here, he softens a little. ] ...I agree with you. [ on both accounts. ] But there are rarely any who ascend for acts of kindness - I think my world would be far different, if that was the case.
You said you remembered something of the gods in your world, right, Brother Goat? What are they like?
[ he thinks for a moment, as if trying to remember. ]
... Humans worship many different gods, depending on their culture, though without proof that any exist.
As for the gods themselves, I believe... they were all born as such? No, that doesn't feel quite right... but the idea of humans becoming gods, at least, feels unfamiliar.
I don't recall any identities, either... but I think I may be one of them?
Is that so? Brother Goat, that's wonderful - it seems we have much in common indeed, if that is the case! [ he's pleased... ]
We did figure out a few weeks ago that you weren't human; to think, we were both godly all along!
You know, if you don't remember what type of god that you were...[ there's a thoughtful pause. ] .... what type of god would you want to be, do you think?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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also me: I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS IS ]
Oh --
[ genuine surprise flies across xie lian's face, immediately, as goat reaches up to pull their mask off...! ]
...Oh. [ he says, again, touched, and then, that surprise shifts into a smile. xie lian reaches up to touch his own face where goat's mask was, warmth flooding into his tone. ] ---Brother Goat... how nice it is, to see you face to face.
[ he shifts, moving to clasp his fist to his hand, to bow to him, a little more properly in greeting. ] ...Your words and actions both honor me, my friend.
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he returns the bow, if a bit awkwardly since he's sitting down. ]
I've done nothing. All of it is you.
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i mean. xie lian shakes his head, to that, and his smile stays. ] That isn't true. You entrusted me with the power in the first place, even if I haven't used it successfully yet, and you've given me guidance, and comfort, often in times when I needed it, even when I didn't say so.
There are people who pray to gods for less, you know. [ that last bit is said a little bit teasingly. ]
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yea it's jan ]
Praying to the gods, is it... [ he looks thoughtful for a moment. ] I suppose that may be true. Still, those are things only natural to give, are they not?
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[ no YOU'RE great, goat!!!
i wuv u jan ]
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[ he looks a little awkward at xie lian's compliment. ]
... Y-You're welcome, I suppose. I will do my best to continue to live up to that gratitude.
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xie lian smiles gently, fondly pleased, and dips his head. ] And I will do my best to live up to the high expectations you have for me.
...I do have some questions for you, but, we can talk tomorrow evening, since we will see each other then. It seems like you need your rest - and you must be busy, with everything that's been going on.
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You don't have to worry about that--I can make time for you. Though perhaps you should get some rest, as well.
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[ xie lian smiles at that! ] We don't have to talk about the Realm. Perhaps we can share a memory, as we've become wont to do. I think I have some cookies or something around here, somewhere...
[ is he digging around in his sleeves and not in his dresser...? yeah, you bet ]
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goat would accept sleeve cookies ]
All right... I have more I can offer this time, too.
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xie lian makes a little "aha!" noise, and pulls out a pack of ore*s! well, a sleeve of them. the bottom of them are a little crushed? i'm sure they're okay. ] Here, the snacks here are so interesting! I can't eat many of them, because they're quite sweet, compared to anything I would eat at home, but they're delicious.
[ he hops up from his spot and shuffles over to offer them to goat! ]
I'm not sure if I have anything in mind, this time. What kind of memory would you like to hear about, Brother Goat?
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[ he takes them! yay, ore*s. ]
... You spoke of gods. What are they like, where you're from?
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Would you believe me if I told you I was one?
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... How does that work? You were once human, were you not?
no subject
In my realm, all gods were once humans - they 'ascend' to the Heavenly Realm. There are a few different ways one can ascend - the less common and usually less powerful gods often ascend because they reach a state of immortality through cultivating their spirits. The most powerful ones tend to ascend because of acts of great intelligence, battle strength, or sacrifice, or because someone in the Heavens saw their potential in one category or another.
I ascended for the first time when I was seventeen. [ ... ha ha.
ha.... ] ...And then I descended. ... And then I ascended again when I was in my twenties, and then descended about thirty minutes later... and then ascended again.... and, uh... that's where we are now.
no subject
... I see. It sounds very different from what I recall of gods, where I'm from.
If I may ask, what did you ascend for?
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[ there's a little playfulness to that, as he begins to launch into the story. this tag is gonna be so long i apologize so much. ]
...There are four ascensions that are the most famous among humans, in my land, known as the Four Great Tales. The General Who Broke His Sword; The Princess Who Slit Her Throat; The Young Lord Who Poured Wine; and lastly, The Crown Prince who Pleased the Gods.
The last one is me.
...A very long time ago, as the crown prince of the kingdom of Xian Le, I was chosen to play the part of the God-pleasing Martial Warrior in a parade for the Lantern Festival, a day in which humans show their appreciation and ask for blessings from the gods. The parade itself is sacred; each lap that the parade makes is said to represent a year of blessed and peaceful reign for the royal family of Xian Le. In the parade, as the God-pleasing warrior, I was to have a choreographed fight with another combatant, dressed as a terrible ghost, for each lap of the parade, while wearing the ceremonial costumes of the kingdom. It was very heavy, and I was supposed to keep my face covered with a golden mask the entire time, because the people of Xian Le hadn't seen my face yet, as well.
...I was a bit late. [ xie lian laughs, a little. ] But, I leapt down from a ten-meter tower to make it onto the parade route, and supposedly, it looked as if I had descended from the Heavens.
Once it began, we were only supposed to be fighting with a seventh or so of our strength, but the person playing the ghost, at the time, was rather competitive. [ that's a fond, old memory, soaked in something bittersweet; and considering the circumstances, he's glad that it's one he still has. ] So, he gave it his all - and so did I. It turned into quite the martial battle, instead of a play.
We made it about three laps around the entire kingdom, battling nonstop - but when we were coming near the imperial palace to start another, there was a ruckus from the city walls, where the citizens of Xian Le had gathered to watch the parade, hundreds of feet above the ground. I remember hearing a terrible scream, and when I looked up from the battle, I saw a child, falling from the wall - that high up, he was falling to his death.
[ and xie lian's gut instinct -- well, what do you expect from him, at this point? ] ...So, I abandoned the routine, jumped up from the ground, and I caught him safely in my arms.
[ and now, he can recall that too; the dirt streaked, tiny little thing, clinging to the front of his shirt for dear life. the tiny child, hong-er, who sobbed and screamed weeks later when the whole world turned on him - and xie lian protected him then, too. he remembers whispering hold on tight as he landed, and faced mu qing once more.
maybe he didn't change the fate of xian le, but he likes to think maybe, at least that day, he helped change the fate of that child for the better. at least a little. ]
I finished the rest of the fight with him in my arms.
no subject
also, gonna be honest, his memory can be terrible even without amnesia, so he's probably not going to recall all the details of that parade. but the part he focuses on is-- ]
... Was the child all right? Falling like that must have been frightening... It's a good thing you saved him.
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[ xie lian has a smile for goat, then, warm and fond. ] I could hardly get him to let go of me, when all was said and done, and that was not the last I saw of him, either. It's funny you should ask so, actually - that child was remarkably hardy. Almost stubbornly so, despite being so small for his age.
[ wonder what happened to him, that little red themed child who only had one eye................................
coughs. ]
The kingdom was in a fuss after it all, especially - um. There was someone in the palace, who was especially mad, but I can't seem to recall who he was... or many of the details of it, but there was a whole thing about it being a bad omen.
Bad omen or not, I'm glad that I saved his life. I would do the same thing, if I had the chance to redo it.
no subject
... Yes. I think you did the right thing as well. No child should be made to die--especially not for fear of what might happen in the future.
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Mm. To put some astrological nonsense of "fate" before the life of a living person is ridiculous. [ ...well, he has some strong feelings about that, even now! it comes out a bit more strongly than it should have. there's someone that maybe would've scolded him for speaking that way, once, but he can't remember them right now. ]
...Anyway - um, that was what caught the gods attention, though I believe it was moreso the fighting than it was the act of saving that child. I ascended about a month later, when I fought a Wrath-level demon and prevented it from destroying Xian Le.
[ ta da!!!! ] That's the whole story.
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I still don't fully understand how the ascension works or the nature of godhood in your world or what a "Wrath-level" demon means... but it all sounds very impressive.
[ a pause ]
Though, as skilled as you must be, I think saving that child is more worthy of attention than the fighting. [ no offence. ] The gods of your world sound as though they have strange priorities.
no subject
[ hahaha... oops. he laughs, a little sheepishly, and tries for the tl;dr: ]
Basically... ascending is based on action. Everyone who ascends is a god of something - usually either a martial god, or a medicine god, or a literature god, though there are some others. People worship them based on whatever they want to pray for, or what they find most compelling - in my time, I have always been a martial god, so warriors prayed to me most often, but I was also more or less the patron god of Xian Le, so, anyone would come to me for that.
And... [ here, he softens a little. ] ...I agree with you. [ on both accounts. ] But there are rarely any who ascend for acts of kindness - I think my world would be far different, if that was the case.
You said you remembered something of the gods in your world, right, Brother Goat? What are they like?
no subject
... Humans worship many different gods, depending on their culture, though without proof that any exist.
As for the gods themselves, I believe... they were all born as such? No, that doesn't feel quite right... but the idea of humans becoming gods, at least, feels unfamiliar.
I don't recall any identities, either... but I think I may be one of them?
no subject
We did figure out a few weeks ago that you weren't human; to think, we were both godly all along!
You know, if you don't remember what type of god that you were...[ there's a thoughtful pause. ] .... what type of god would you want to be, do you think?
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