caughtinanetwork | [Video] 04 Feathers

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[Video] 04 Feathers

[Okay. Here's the scene. It's the middle of the day, and everything looks pretty normal in whoever's kitchen part of his/her apartment.

All of a sudden, pick a Katy Perry song. At max volume.

Cue Davesprite entering the scene, carrying in baking supplies for assorted baked goods. It might be brownies. It might be cookies. It might even be a cake. Either way, Davesprite is baking while blasting Katy Perry. Why the hell not?

...Okay, and he might be singing along a little bit. Shut up.]

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[He nods. Converting it in his mind to a metaphor for music helps to understand, surprisingly enough.]

Being incompatible causes dissonance, I'd guess? And that's why it'd cause harm to both people?

Precisely and exactly. A tuning fork produces sound as it resonates with the vibration caused when it's struck, right?

So does a soul, but that resonance is produced by itself. In concert with others, these wavelengths can resonate at certain degrees of compatibility. Dissonance can harm the soul as well as the body, while resonance serves to make them stronger.

Mutual respect, mutually relevant interests, and personality traits that go well together all contribute to effective compatibility, but just because two people are good friends doesn't necessarily mean they will have good soul resonance.

Just like in music. Resonance can bolster the melody, but dissonance can just tank the whole song.

[He nods, that makes sense.]

You say souls have different wavelengths, right? Is it because the frequency of those wavelengths don't necessarily mesh well together despite being good friends?

Very astute. They may share in many of the same likes and dislikes, even respond to things in similar ways, but it may be because they are so alike that the frequency of their soul wavelength produces dissonance.

This is especially true of fiercely independent people who don't take direction well.

[Kid smiles.]

You're a quick study, Dave.

[The sprite shrugs.]

Music is as much a part of my life as breathing. I've got experience with composing and mixing sounds, so it's pretty easy to understand when I put it in those terms. And I'll admit that the sound part of science interests me.

So, what makes a Meister a Meister?

You might have enjoyed Soul Theory at the Academy, then.

[As for his question:]

Genetic predisposition plays a role, but spiritual strength is an important trait to have as a Meister. Many graduates of the Academy, those Weapons who become Death Scythes and the Meisters who can wield them, go on to fill important roles in politics and the defense of humanity around the globe.

There are two types of students at my father's school. The EAT class are generally called upon for more direct confrontations, while the NOT class tends toward supportive roles in conflicts, and rarely see combat. This is generally due to a difference in capabilities, both for Weapons and Meisters.

Powerful Weapons are often sought-after by other Meisters hoping for the popularity and reputation gains from associating with an up and coming Death Scythe.

[Davesprite will take Kid's word for that.]

But you might not get a powerful Weapon if you're incompatible with them. What's a Death Scythe?

If a Weapon is able to consume the souls of precisely ninety-nine corrupted souls and one Witch's soul, the Weapon will gain great power, becoming a full-fledged Death Scythe.

It's the assignment of every student at the academy, but making even a single mistake will result in the forfeiture of all souls collected.

[The grim reaper's shoulders slump, and he presses a palm into his face, sighing.]

In fact, I lost all the souls I had collected for the Thompson sisters once, when I recklessly destroyed the Pyramid of Anubis. Such unspeakable beauty... even recalling that dreadful wreckage is depressing.

Oh, shit, that's pretty harsh.

[Wait.]

So, if you've got two Weapons, does that double the amount of souls required?

Yes.

[So, 2 Witch's souls and 198 corrupted souls. That's a tall order.]

And it must be simultaneous, so I've asked that they split their souls evenly every time we embark on a mission. I'd rather it not seem like one sister is being favored over the other, when together they are an incredible duo.

That makes sense. Plus, all you'd need would be to get the two witch souls at the same time.

So, most Meisters have only one Weapon, right? Outta curiosity, why do you have two?

It may require that we collect one Witch's soul first, and hold off on her ninety-ninth corrupted soul until the other sister has caught up.

[Obviously, he's already obsessed over the logistics.]

Meisters with two Weapons at one time are rare, due to the difficulty of matching soul wavelengths with two other souls at once. It's easy for relatives to match soul wavelengths for obvious reasons, but it runs the risk of excluding others.

It's no problem for a grim reaper, and besides, the Thompson sisters are perfect in their weapon forms. I couldn't be happy with an asymmetrical Weapon, so when my exalted Father attempted to find me a suitable one I refused every offer until I discovered them living in New York City.

So, you can collect a Witch's soul before having your Weapon take it?

[Not that Davesprite can blame him.

He's also just going to accept that Kid is a grim reaper.]

Weapon siblings would've been ideal for you, then. What's the purpose of a grim reaper?

Of course.

Grim reapers, such as myself and my Honorable Father, Lord Death, are the ultimate beings that govern over the lives and deaths of all beings within his domain. It is our duty to oversee the balance of good and evil, and see to it that Madness does not overrun the planet.

[That's more of a recent development.]

If a corrupted being is attempting to bring other souls to harm, it is the duty of a grim reaper to protect and safeguard those souls, and mete out punishment to the offending party.

As such, storing a soul, even a Witch's, poses no problem for a grim reaper. However, these activities may be placed on hold, seeing as there is presently a truce in the works between Shibusen and the Witch's faction.

Sounds like a tough job. Madness, though?

[He has a feeling that has a slightly different meaning in Kid's world than in his.]

Madness, insanity, lunacy. Standing at the polar opposite of Order, it is the natural enemy of mankind in today's world.

The Kishin Asura, imprisoned by my Father for centuries in order to protect the world from his Madness, has reawakened. He intends on spreading his Madness across the entire world, and supplant my Father's orderly rule. His Madness wavelength is so powerful that, even imprisoned, approaching the Kishin induced it in any but perhaps the strongest souls.

...Presently, some of us are fighting on the moon against the Kishin. Maka and myself, you already know. It's a dangerous fight with much at stake, but I have faith in my friends, we'll pull through. We must.

Hey, I might not know you very well, and I don't know this Maka person at all, but I gotta feeling you guys will pull it off.

[He tilts his head slightly.]

Did something cause him to wake up?

There's no short answer to that one.

[Has any of his answers in the last few minutes been exactly short?]

Suffice it to say that Shibusen's enemies sought to awaken the Kishin, who has since gathered a frightening menagerie of followers.

Edited 2013-03-13 23:42 (UTC)

Why would they follow him? From the sounds of it, I doubt the guy can be controlled and might destroy his followers as casually as his enemies.

Excuse me, I thought you just inquired as to why the followers of the source of wide-spread Madness might do something absolutely insane.

But that would be silly.

But it's not insane to them. I guess I'm just wondering if it's really worth fucking up the world just to get at Shibusen to them.

Perhaps they want a new world order that isn't "Order" at all.

Perhaps they think they've found what they most desire in the depths of Madness, without realizing that the fulfillment they think they possess is an infantile one.

Can't help pitying them if that's the case. Makes you wonder what went wrong in their lives to turn to that.

I don't exactly have to wonder.

After all, at one time even I embraced what I thought was the "Ultimate Order", a childish dream of accomplishing equality in utter destruction.

I'm not proud of it, but the capacity to be every bit as much of a disorderly monster as the Kishin exists in all of us.

Well, generally kids always see things in black and white. It's when you get older and start growing up that you start seeing the shades of grey.

[He shrugs.]

Granted, I shouldn't be saying shit since I was raised to only see shades of grey as a kid.

[Video] 04 Feathers

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