rest, my brother, and tell me all about the ocean

[extramural]

FORM: Sending crystal.
SENDER: The Outsider
RECIPIENT: everyone
WHAT: Poking the hornets nest.
WHEN: Nowish?
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: He creepy.

What a tumultuous time it is in this world. An empire at war, ancient protectors showing what many feel to be their true colors, strangers falling from the sky -- the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I am not of this world, though it bares similarities to my own -- namely a prominent disdain for the other and ridiculous class differences -- as much it it shows its differences. Empires rise and fall; I admittedly have little interest in wars that have played out hundreds of times in similar ways across hundreds of worlds.

However, I do want to know what you find interesting about this world, if you will share.

Comments

[bookish_lioness]

... ah. I suppose that might be off-putting for those who aren't used to that sort of thing.

Is "the Outsider" a nickname of sorts?

[extramural]

A title, I suppose. I had a name as a human child, but it no longer applies.

Others here tend to like giving me names.

[bookish_lioness]

What name do you prefer? Human or otherwise?

[extramural]

I do not have a preference.

[ he's Difficult sorry Hermione ]

[bookish_lioness]

Everyone has a preference.

[She's a Gryffindor; they're the most Difficult.]

[extramural]

I am not everyone.

[bookish_lioness]

No. You're you. And you deserve to be called by whatever name you think best fits you.

[extramural]

They all fit, in their own way. Mortals don't often have a choice in their names.

[bookish_lioness]

So then, since you don't consider yourself mortal, that means you do have a choice in your name. So what will it be?

[extramural]

[ There's a faint chuckle. ]

So far, I have only three here to pick from. Perhaps you should come up with one for me, and I will tell you if I like it.

[bookish_lioness]

I'm no good at naming things. I would just end up choosing the names of scholars and writers from my world, such as Flamel or Marlowe. Or go the simple route and give you a common name like Nicolas or Christopher. No, if you're going to choose your own name, you should settle on something of your own devising. That makes it more personal.

[extramural]

What did those scholars study? I would find the choice, conscious or not, interesting.

[ Of his own devising? He'd rather not, thank you. ]

[bookish_lioness]

Oh, well, Nicolas Flamel was an alchemist, who developed what's known as the Philosopher's Stone. It enabled him to enjoy eternal life, but when he discovered that it was in danger of being used for evil, he allowed it to be destroyed; he was well over 650 years old by then, though, so he'd lived a long life. And Christopher Marlowe was a playwright and poet; his most famous work was probably Doctor Faustus, which was about a man agreeing to sell his soul to the Devil in exchange for worldly pleasures.

[extramural]

He needed the stone to continue his eternal life, then? [ He supposes he could see the reasoning behind that name, considering his own age.

He supposes he could see the reasoning behind 'Marlowe' as well, though it's unlikely she makes the connection. Besides, he's never bought anyone's soul or gave them worldly pleasures -- though it certainly sounded like something the Overseers might claim. ]

What of your own name?

[bookish_lioness]

He did, yes. For him and his wife. But given the danger it posed to the world at large if it fell into the wrong hands, he bought them both enough time to get their affairs in order before allowing it to be destroyed.

[She hadn't really had any reason for spouting off those two names first, other than Flamel being a noted scholar in her world and Marlowe being a celebrated contemporary of Shakespeare's, but she can at least see the connection between him and Flamel's extended life, even if she'd still insist that the mention of Faust had been coincidental.]

Ah, I never did offer it, did I? Sorry; my name is Hermione. Hermione Granger.

[extramural]

A pleasure.

[ She is, at least, interesting to talk to. She debates with him, for starters. ]

I imagine something specific happened, then, if he had lived for at least several hundred years prior without thinking of destroying it.

[bookish_lioness]

Same. Even if we're still trying to puzzle out your name.

It's... sort of a long, complicated story. Essentially, a very bad person who'd sort of been killed but whose essence still lingered was going to use it to become more than just an essence. He ended up managing to emerge at full power a few years later through Dark magic, but destroying the Philosopher's Stone at least prolonged his return until we were better able to fight him.

[extramural]

The long, complicated stories are often some of the better ones, I find.

I take it you defeated him?

[bookish_lioness]

I suppose it would make for a better story if I hadn't been living it.

We did. It took a few years, but in the end, he was little different from this world's Corypheus, looking for ways to prolong his life so he could destroy the world in his efforts to rule it.

[extramural]

They usually do.

The mindless pursuit of power tends to be a great downfall. No matter what either of them became, I imagine both were human, once.

[bookish_lioness]

He was. I know too many people who started out all too similarly to him. It was just a matter of ambition that separated the thing he became from the man my best friend grew up to be. It's not an easy thing to think about, when you realize how easily the average person can be corrupted.

[extramural]

I imagine that he, at least, appeared nonhuman, based on your earlier description? That can help illustrate it, for those that might follow that path. Many monsters appear not only human, but like something to strive toward.

[bookish_lioness]

Dark magic took its toll on him, yes. But he had plenty of followers who bore no physical mark of the acts they've committed, aside from the tattoo they all had. After all, some of the most monstrous scars are more psychological or emotional than they are physical.