Reno's Class About The Day After Doomsday, Wednesday

[the_merriest]

Class today was meeting in the Danger Shop, and the set up was a little ... unusual.

Students would find themselves sitting on the hull of a gigantic airship, hovering a few thousand feet above the ground in the night sky. In the distance was the fin of what seemed to be a gigantic monster, slowly dissolving into nothingness. Myriad strange creatures floated by and disappeared.

Most intriguing, perhaps, was the brown-haired girl wearing a long kimono, standing at the front. She was dancing like a Shinto priestess, waving a staff in time to her movements. She didn't seem to see or hear you; she just kept dancing as though there was nothing else in the world.

In front of her was a brightly-dressed blonde girl, sitting to face all of you with a tiny red chicobo in her lap.

"Welcome to five minutes after the world didn't end," Rikku said. "You're on an airship. That creature out in the distance is a one-thousand-year-old monster that has been killing people for generations. People thought it couldn't die, couldn't ever be stopped. They were wrong. That's Yuna. She's the one who did all this. Other people came along on the journey, but they just helped."

Yuna continued to dance, oblivious to the conversation. She'd been programmed not to interact with students. Yuna had enough to deal with, really.

"Today, you're one of her Guardians," she explained. "You were on this airship with her. You got her here, to where the world didn't end, alive. It wasn't easy. There were six of you to start, and only four standing here now. That's one of the things they never tell you, about saving the world. You think if you pull it off, you're gonna throw a big party. But you won't feel like partying. You have too many dead to bury."

She cradled Reno closer, for moral support, and tried to get back on topic.

"There are going to be decisions to make, in the days to come," Rikku continued. "The world didn't end, so now you have to deal with the consequences. There's a lot that needs to be rebuilt. Where do you start? I'm not just talking about, like, smashed buildings, either. The end of the world makes people go crazy, and ... you're gonna have to deal with that."

Rikku sighed. "There was a man named Seymour Guado. He told all of his race, the Guado, that he knew how to stop this monster, but they had to follow him. So they did. Even when he told them to kill. The Guado burned down the Al Bhed home, and massacred most of the people inside. The Guado attacked the Ronso, and barely left any of them alive. In the days to come, the Guado are going to be so guilt-ridden that they wander out into the woods, hoping to die. Some of the Al Bhed and the Ronso want revenge. They call it justice. Are they right?"

She cleared her throat, irritated with how badly she was explaining herself. "This isn't just a theoretical question," she huffed. "One of you Guardians is a Ronso, and another is an Al Bhed. This is your family that died. This is your entire city, that was smashed to the ground."

It seemed overkill to mention walking through the wreckage, climbing over the bodies.

"There's a religion," she continued. "One as old as this monster itself. It said that if people gave up technology and lived according to certain rules, the monster would go away. It was all a bunch of lies, specifically created to keep the cycle going. It was used to foster hate, for centuries. But some good, decent people believed in the religion. I mean, Yuna herself was raised in that church. What happens to those temples now? Does the religion have to be dismantled, just because it started with a lie? What happens to the believers? What happens to the structure? Can something good grow, or is it rotten to the core and needs to be destroyed?"

"Yuna's a hero," she said. "Yuna could declare herself Queen Emperor for life and no one will question it. She doesn't want to. So you guys got lucky. She has unquestionable power right now, and the only people she can trust are you, her Guardians. After all, you almost died to protect her. So you need to help her, because she's going to be made into a leader whether she wants to be or not, and there are going to be weirdos and sycophants crowding around her. You need to protect her, and guide her, now more than ever."

She shrugged her shoulders. "That's it," she said. "That's class. Where do we start? How? What do you tell Yuna? Oh, right, I'm Rikku and I'm a friend of Reno's, 'cause he's indisposed again. Don't mind the cat or the ferret wandering around. They're mine. I just ... wanted them here, today."

Sometimes, you needed all the fuzzy critters on hand.

Comments

Sign In [6-11]

[the_merriest]

Suiting up to save the world.

Re: Sign In [6-11]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry Ween

Re: Sign In [6-11]

[pulseof_life]

Paddra Nsu-Yeul

During the Lecture [6-11]

[the_merriest]

Watch Yuna dance. Marvel at the weird melting-stuff going on outside.

Re: During the Lecture [6-11]

[spin_kick_snap]

Kathy was quiet for a few minutes after their interim teacher stopped speaking. This was all so huge. What to tackle first? Which problems were most pressing.

There was a reason that so many movies and video games stopped once the world was saved. Because who wanted to deal with what came next?

Re: During the Lecture [6-11]

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

Eleanor watched Yuna dancing, wondering if it was a ritual, or some kind of spell. It looked so graceful.

Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[the_merriest]

The Ronso want revenge. The Al Bhed have no home. Seymour is dead, and the rest of the Guado are trying to just give up and die.

What are you going to do? Should you do anything? Can you?

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[spin_kick_snap]

"I don't think we can comment on the Ronso or the Al Bhed," Kathy said quietly. "We don't have a right to speak for them. But I think we should stop the Guado from killing themselves. There's too much to do after the end of the world to let potential help just die. Can we somehow make rebuilding into a kind of...cultural penance? The Al Bhed need a home. Can the Guado build them one? The Ronso need justice--is there anything in their cultural about reparations?"

She shrugged, looking back out of the airship to the water. "It seems...cheap...to let people just commit mass suicide, especially when the world needs help so badly. And justice shouldn't be about vengeance or punishment, but fixing what was broken. Hard to do that by adding more dead bodies to the pile."

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[the_merriest]

"I agree," Rikku said. "Spira -- this world -- people have been dying for centuries. Letting more kick off is not going to be the right answer. Plus it almost ... it almost seems too easy, you know? It's harder to face bad things you did than to just give up and die."

She folded her arms. "The Ronso and the Al Bhed are in a no-win situation," she added. "If they get the Guado killed, it's just gonna feel hollow. It's not gonna bring any of their dead back. So they have to be the bigger people, and sometimes you just hate being forced to be the bigger person. Especially against people you have every reason to hate."

There was a small kweh from Rikku's lap. Reno just wanted to throw in his two cents.

"What kind of reparations are you thinking?" she asked. "I don't know much about Ronso culture, either. What can the Guado offer the Ronso?"

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"Well, okay, so 'revenge' can't happen. That's not how things work. And letting the asswipes go jump off a cliff doesn't help anything, either. You need justice, and reconciliation, and rebuilding, and stuff like that. Put the Guado leaders on trial, and make the rest of 'em work to make up for what they did."

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[the_merriest]

"The main leader is already dead," Rikku said. "His second-in-command is in charge now. He says he's sorry. But he also had a chance to stop it, and didn't, because 'Guado deal with Guado affairs.' So what do you do with him? Prison? Execution? And what if the Guado say they'd rather die than work?"

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"The Guado are being manipulative," Eleanor said darkly. "They don't actually want to die, or they'd be cold already. They want everyone to see how sorry they are and beg them to come back into society and participate. Why should we? Why do we need a bunch of genocidal weak boohooers to rebuild the world?"

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[the_merriest]

"We may, we may not," Rikku shrugged. "They're still alive, sure, but maybe some of them are scared to go through with it. Some of them also really thought what they were doing was right. People will do some desperate things when they're pushed to the edge, and that monster destroyed entire cities at a time."

Re: Discussion: The Guado, The Ronso, and the Al Bhed [6-11]

[not_every_mage]

"I have no idea," Anders said freely. "I lost track of who was who and who wanted what. I think we should smash the church, though. Chantry at home never did anybody a bit of good and I can't imagine yours is any better."

Discussion: The Yevon Religion [6-11]

[the_merriest]

Many people believe, and it's been a source of strength or comfort to them. But Yevon was actually the guy behind the monster this whole time, and he created the religion to keep it going as long as possible.

What about the religion, the devotees, the temples now? Some people still believe. Some people don't want to lose the precepts just because the base of the religion was a lie. Others think you need to throw everything out and start over.

Re: Discussion: The Yevon Religion [6-11]

[spin_kick_snap]

"Is it possible to separate the religion from some of the ideas?" Kathy asked. "I mean, I know that sounds stupid, but there's more to religion than just the rules. And all the believers had no idea that the guy behind it all was evil, did they?"

Re: Discussion: The Yevon Religion [6-11]

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

"I... really don't know much about religion," Joker admitted. "I mean, you can't just outlaw it, 'cause that'll just end badly. And I know it gives people comfort, and it would suck to take that away..." He shrugged awkwardly. "It's a shame you can't just give all those empty temples to the Al Bhed."

Re: Discussion: The Yevon Religion [6-11]

[nobloodymessiah.livejournal.com]

"Disallowing it will only drive it underground," Eleanor stated. "Censorship increases allure. Make its flaws openly known. Invite ridicule. Perhaps it will crumble and decay by itself."

Non-Discussion: Play with Petey and Mako [6-11]

[the_merriest]

There is a big fluffy orange cat (like the icon, but no longer a kitten zomg) wandering the airship. Feel free to mod that he flops down near you and insists on cuddles, or begins licking your shoes, or whatever else you like so long as it fits his general temperament (which is Dumb and Loves People).

There is also a tiny ferret skittering around. Feel free to mod him trying to steal things from you, chittering, honking, and also wanting pet-pets, or just anything else that fits his temperament (which is Adorable and Mischievous and Also Loves People).

Re: Non-Discussion: Play with Petey and Mako [6-11]

[fly-so-serious.livejournal.com]

Joker heard the weirdest raspy sound, and looked over to see the cat licking his crutches. He raised a hand. "Uh... is he supposed to be doing that?"

Re: Non-Discussion: Play with Petey and Mako [6-11]

[iceolatedqueen.livejournal.com]

It would take a sad baby polar bear to not recognize a friendly honking when she heard one. The instant Eleanor's attention was elsewhere, Elsa was making a break for it, plodding her way hup-hup-hup over to investigate the honky weaselly thing.

And honking right back! Hi!

(Elsa was going to beat her head against a wall over this whole polar bear thing later.)

Talk to Rikku [6-11]

[the_merriest]

She has a tiny chocobo with her. Spoiler alert: your usual teacher is weetiny today.

Talk to the TA [6-11]

[the_merriest]

I didn't just almost forget this thread, shhhh!

Re: Talk to the TA [6-11]

[notaweenie.livejournal.com]

Barry was there. Though he seemed distracted by the environment for one reason or another but you could probably get his attention if you poked him hard enough.

OOC [6-11]

[the_merriest]

It's actually Rikku's birthday today. She is 23.

I apped this girl at 15 wtfwtfwtf