snowblindrpg | [network] @Summoner; Night 232; Text then Voice

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[network] @Summoner; Night 232; Text then Voice

[ Shortly after lockdown comes a text message across everyone's screens. ]

Dirk's Dwarven Vows

1 - Let's all work together for a peaceful world.
2 - Never abandon someone in need.
4 - Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs.
5 - The more you add, the worse it gets.
7 - Justice and love will always win. / Goodness and love will always win.
9 - Fall down seven times, stand up eight.
10 - Play hard, play often.
11 - Lying is the first step down the path of thievery.
14 - Even a small star shines in the darkness.
16 - You can do anything if you try.
18 - It's better to be deceived than to deceive.
24 - Never let your feet run faster than your shoes.
32 - Cross even a stone bridge after you've tested it.
41 - It's better to begin in the evening than not at all. / Haste makes waste.
43 - Never forget the basics.
55 - A bad workman blames his tools.
108 - Let sleeping dogs lie.
134 - Compassion benefits all men.

[ Sheena's voice follows soon after. ]

These are vows that my friend Lloyd was taught by his father, and I thought I'd share them with you. Sorry the list is so short, but Lloyd didn't tell me all of them. I hope they help in some way.

[ Because they helped back home. ]

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Dirk's (a) Dwarven (Moron) Vows

1 - Let's all work together for a peaceful world. (And by peace we mean build up the military as 'peace keepers.' Can't be safe without your guns, kiddies.)
2 - Never abandon someone in need. (Unless they're an asshole, then abandon away.)
(what's 3?)
4 - Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs. (Unless you're a cripple. Then you're just a leech, buddy.)
5 - The more you add, the worse it gets. (Unless it's joy. But screw joy, am I right?)
(we forgot 6, too)
7 - Justice and love will always win. / Goodness and love will always win. (Except those times they don't. Which is most times. Ever heard of criminal justice reform?)
(you should have been missing 9, then i could make the 7 ate 9 joke, asshole)
9 - Fall down seven times, stand up eight. (Or just stay down and crawl because you suck at walking, apparently.)
10 - Play hard, play often. (Play loose, play fast.)
11 - Lying is the first step down the path of thievery. (And god knows thieves are the dirtiest of them all, not like assassins.)
(12 and 13 now?)
14 - Even a small star shines in the darkness. (Or it might have died billions of years ago. We're just seeing the after image of it still.)
(screw quinceañeras, too)
16 - You can do anything if you try. (This is literal bullshit.)
(17 was a good year)
18 - It's better to be deceived than to deceive. (It's really not. Way more fun to do the deceiving.)
(swathes of numbers forgotten)
24 - Never let your feet run faster than your shoes. (If your shoes are running on their own, call the Ghostbusters 'cause they're super possessed.)
(25 to 31 was a blur to me, too)
32 - Cross even a stone bridge after you've tested it. (Or live a little and work on your arsonist abilities while you figure out a way to burn that sucker to the ground.)
(33 to 40 more blurs... but definitely more sex here)
41 - It's better to begin in the evening than not at all. / Haste makes waste. (Except when someone's dying. Then haste saves lives if you're not a moron.)
(you missed the answer to life, the universe, and everything)
43 - Never forget the basics. (We aren't going to specify which basics, but definitely don't forget them.)
(we're losing even more numbers now)
55 - A bad workman blames his tools. (You realize there's such a thing as faulty equipment? Unless this is a metaphor for penises. Then there's nothing wrong with my tools. *wink wink*)
(now you're skipping more than 50)
108 - Let sleeping dogs lie. (Unless they stole your bone. Then kick those assholes.)
(109 to 133 weren't that interesting, anyway)
134 - Compassion benefits all men. (Especially the ones who capitalize on it and make a little moulah playing philanthropist.)

Edited 2017-05-05 04:29 (UTC)

[ Why is she not surprised? ]

Dirk's vows aren't stupid! Or moronic! [ Okay, some of them are, but she's ~~Inigo Montoya~~ Sheena Fujibayashi, you insult Lloyd, prepare to be yelled at. ] They helped him see the world differently than others.

[ Then she becomes impish. ]

And don't worry, House. I still won't abandon you.

[ no matter how much of an asshole you are. ]

and that, kiddies
is the story of how lloyd died
horribly
robbed and probably happy about it

[ Jerk...but still not gonna be abandoned. ]

How did you know? [ Yep. Total sarcasm. ]

But seriously, Lloyd's traveling with Colette back home--probably still reciting Dirk's vows to her and anyone around him.

so i'm guessing he's never gotten laid
i mean if that's what he runs around telling people
what a self-righteous dweeb

What's that got to do with anything?

[ Yep. She knows what that means...or has an idea, anyway. ]

He doesn't just go up to people and say "Hi, I'm Lloyd, here are the Dwarven Vows." That would be silly.

and yet
it's the thing you remember about him
what does that say about the guy?
nothing else going on for him

Now seven and eighteen and...the last one, whatever that was- those are just flat-out wrong.

...but if you have to have a bunch of platitudes to get along with, this isn't the worst bunch.

I remember a lot of things about him, actually.

But these are the things I chose to share with people--like his Dad shared with him.

[ A pause. ]

Lloyd is a human raised by a Dwarf on a world that hates Half-elves, and these vows helped him deal with things. I think they can help here, too.

[ Oh hey, you. Long time no talk. ]

Why is the last one wrong?

well now you're just trying to be manipulative
your buddy's sob story does not move me
try again

I dunno, I know compassion exists in my world. But it sure hasn't seemed to benefit me much. For me, there's no kindness unless someone wants something from me. The better people are the ones who don't lie about it.

[ And how few and far between those were. ]

Maybe some people just aren't meant to receive compassion. I wouldn't know what to do with it, if I came across it.

[ Having talked to Al already, he knows he doesn't. ]

[He sees House's point up there about number four - he's just going to poke at that a little without actually replying to him because he'd had his fill of directly confronting him long ago.]

Since it seems to be causing some confusion, I believe the second's intention was surely meant to include even the most abrasive of us. It makes little sense to talk about compassion in the same breath otherwise, doesn't it?

They are good rules to keep in mind. I hope more people would abide by them more often.

Edited (teach me not to review the whole tag when I change course) 2017-05-11 05:26 (UTC)

[Goddamnit, House. Even if a few points here are excessively dickish, Stephen still laughed and he kind of resents House for that.]

It's a nice sentiment, but I can't say many of these work as absolutes. Number two isn't always right. Number four definitely doesn't work for me.

I kind of like number nine, though.

Huh? I'm not sure I understand. How am I being manipulative?

[ You've met her. She's honestly confused here, House. ]

Are you saying that no one has ever shown you compassion any way?

Has that happened to you here? Has no one helped you simply because you were in trouble?

[ Technically, they're all in trouble, but she's not going to go there. ]

you're telling me i should respect these bullshit vows
because of some tragic backstory
manipulative

Here doesn't count. People are different here. Or they're way better at pretending than the ones I knew.

People back home acted compassionate when they wanted something from me. That's the only experience I've had with it. Compassion's something for fairy tales and Christmas movies.

[ Yeah, House just brings out the best in people, doesn't he? ]

It includes everyone who's in need one way or another--since there are a lot of different ways to need help.

Which is why I told someone I'd never abandon them.

[ Oh yeah, she means House. ]

I'm actually hoping that they'll help the people here get through this whole mess. Or, in some cases, lift their spirits when they need lifted.

Why don't two and four work for you?

[ She knows that's not what he said, but considering his comment, she just has a feeling it's a valid question. ]

I'm kinda partial to number fourteen myself.

Just because someone's in need doesn't mean they aren't hurting the people around them. Sometimes getting out is the right thing to do.

[It isn't drama or self pity when he thinks that Christine was right to walk out on him. It's understanding of what a complete and utter dick he was to her.]

And sometimes you need to reach out and ask for help. Come to think of it, those two kind of contradict each other anyway.

But I didn't tell you anything about his past--only that he was raised by a dwarf.

[ Oh, there's a light bulb there. ]

Oh. Yeah, I guess that's a clue, huh? That wasn't my intention, though, so I'm sorry if it came across that way.

[ Hey, House, she's apologizing to you. ]

[ There's a long pause before Sheena answers. ]

I'm sorry that happened to you. But from what you said, people here have shown you compassion, right? And I don't think this place is a fairy tale.

[ Yeah, not going to go into the whole Christmas thing. She's still trying to figure that one out. ]

[ Uuugh, why are they talking about this? Out of all the things he pointed out, why was this sort spot the one she jumped on right away? ]

I dunno, feels more like a technological cautionary tale to me. But I wouldn't rule fairy tale out, either. Some of them aren't very nice, you know.

[Sheena, this doesn't work when you don't take the bait and protest more.]

apology not accepted
i'm onto you fujibayashi

[And he hangs up. Maybe that will get her fretting? Ugh! Why couldn't she have just gotten into an argument with him. That would have been more entertaining.]

There's little better you can do, at times. It's...rewarding, when you know you've helped someone regain a hold on their strength with your words. To lift them out of the mire, so to speak, when they couldn't help themselves.

[He hopes he's done that for people here, in all his time stuck here. It would be better than the ineffectual mess he sees in his attempts to do anything of note here, himself. If he can inspire someone to go on and discover, it makes the isolation that has plagued him seem less.]

[ She's warm and sort-of-comfy, so she's not as testy as normal. But, that will probably change in the future.

Especially since she'll sit and wonder what the hell just happened, and what exactly is he on to her about?

THANKS, DOC. She'll confront him about it another time--when she's not yawning and falling asleep. ]

But are they truly abandoning them? Never thinking about them again? Or talking to them? Seeing how they're doing?

[ That's true abandonment. ]

And it's not that kind of "depend". It means not to rely on others to do what you can do yourself. Or expect people to do those things every day.

Sometimes. It's not getting out if you don't stay out.

[Why would I, Christine had said when he pointed out she never answered his emails. It had still stung, but by then he understood her reasons.]

And that's kind of the problem with blanket statements. If you mean don't expect everyone to carry you through life, say that.

Unless it was a different kind of need being addressed when they were left behind. Needing to find out who they truly are, for instance. Or needing to be protected in a way someone couldn't do.

[ Her own abandonment by her parents has always caused her to think about the why--considering where she had been found. ]

Hmmm. Yeah, saying it that way does cause problems, but tell the truth: if you had time to think about it, learning these as you were growing up, would you have figured it out eventually?

[ Because of her own experiences... And that's just who she is. ]

Uhhh....I don't think I'd want to tell this story to my children. Would you?

[ Kind of gruesome even for a "not nice" fairy tale. ]

[ His smirk is rather audible when he speaks. ]

Depends on what lesson I'd want them to learn. And if I was from the 1800s.

You've never read Grimm's Fairy Tales, I'm guessing?

[Stephen just makes a dismissive noise and drops the first part of the argument at this point. He'd been plenty lost, and finding out who he truly was hadn't required Christine to sacrifice herself on the altar of his wounded ego. That doesn't mean he wants to explain all the gory details.]

If I had time to think about it, I could twist any one of them to mean whatever I wanted.

[ Sheena shakes her head. ]

Never heard of them. But with a name like "grim", they don't sound too nice.

[ ooc: I know this is old, and feel free to drop the thread if you like. ]

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[network] @Summoner; Night 232; Text then Voice

@hotstud_xxx; text

Voice | @Summoner

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@godsend, voice, Night 234

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@Enoch, voice

[not here]

@beyonce | audio

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Voice | @Summoner

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Voice | @Summoner

I think I started her responses in voice and forgot... Whoops. (So back to Voice)

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Wow I...meant number two in the narration up there. Whoops.

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Voice | @Summoner

@beyonce | perma-audio

@Summoner

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