Practical Folklore, Monday 2nd period

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Welcome back, everybody," Jon began. "My apologies for last week. This week, I thought we could begin with something a bit more nebulous than the others: witches. I'm aware we have at least some people on the island who identify as witches, and there may be more I'm unaware of. Traditionally witches are women with some form of magical power; beyond that, there are a number of possibilities for narrowing it down."

He shrugged. "Honestly, in my version of Earth, witches were mostly women that knew a bit of science and didn't like being bossed around by the church, and therefor got painted in the worst possible light so as to make it easier to kill them with impunity. It's possible some had actual power, but given the rate of experiences with the Fears, I'm guessing the vast majority did not. Other worlds, of course, may have different ratios of actual power to innocents men hated.

"In folklore I'm aware of, witches are often depicted as old women, generally living alone, and run the gamut from helpful to horrendous. The one rule of thumb seems to be that you don't want to treat them poorly. Which can be generalized to 'don't be a bastard to old women', which seems like a decent rule anyway."

Said the man who pissed people off on the regular. In his defence, he often didn't mean to! "So, let's discuss witches. Are you one, do you know any, does your world have them or stories of them? What other applications can you think of other than to treat people well?"

Comments

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"I mean, some people would call all the Gale Girls witches," Charlie said, "But I just dare anyone to say that to one of the Aunties."

Re: Class discussion

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"Not a complimentary term, I take it," Jon said.

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"More just inaccurate, but the Aunties have a thing about it," Charlie said. "And, you know, not smart to antagonize superpowerful people."

Re: Class discussion

[intheeyeofthebeholding]

"And since it's difficult to know who might be super powerful, best not to antagonise anyone."

Jon was so, SO bad at that. It didn't mean he didn't know it was a good idea.

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"At least around the Aunties that's the way to go," Charlie agreed

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"What are your Aunties," Arden couldn't help but ask.

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"My aunts," Charlie said. "The family's aunts. The older generation of aunts, I guess. When they accrue enough age and power they become part of the Aunties."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"I mean, that tracks," Arden said with a small huff of a laugh, though the aunties she was thinking about were more the older Black women in the churches back when she'd gone. "What are they before they become Aunties?"

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"Aunts, just like in any other family," Charlie said. "Well, not exactly like any other. All the Gale girls have the ability to charm. We come into our power at puberty usually."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden knew that feeling pretty well. "So then are they - you? - witches before you get upgraded to Aunties?"

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"Witches is not a word we use," Charlie says. "We're just Gale Girls."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"But you are magic," Arden asked, nodding once to show that the w-word was off the table. "With the charming and the ability to just, like, accrue power like a savings bond?"

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

Charlie shrugged. "I suppose. I don't think I've ever heard the Aunties refer to it as anything but power, but then I don't pay a whole lot of attention. Here, though, it definitely fits with what people call magic. And yeah, we can charm and we fget more powerful as we age. I'm a Wild Power, though, so I don't follow a lot of the rules."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"A...Wild power?" Arden asked.

She couldn't mean...could she?

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"My powers don't folow the rules," Charlie said. "And Wild Powers usually don't end up settling down - at least not for a long time if ever. We have the ability to do great things. And I swear, if one of the Aunties says, 'with great power comes great responsibility' one more time, I may scream."

She grinned. "Actually, last time I threw my phone into the ocean while they were still talking."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"But what are the rules?" Arden asked. "The ones they don't follow, I mean?"

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"I don't know," Charlie said. "Like, find a nice Gale boy and settle down. And baking - all the Gale Girls bake. It's a great way to make sure someone unsuspecting gets charmed, but when I do it..."

Half a continent away all the Aunties stopped and shuddered without knowing why. "Charlie..." Auntie Jane said. "Remember the brownies?" And they all shuddered again.

"It's bad," she said. "Weird things happen that shouldn't. I mean, the lawn in that spot my backyard will probably never grow back. Makes my dad crazy."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden had just like. So many questions. "A nice Gale boy?" she asked. "Like one of your cousins?"

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"The Aunties keep track of the bloodlines and make sure no one marries anyone too close and makes sure we all stay within the seven year break. We're a really big family. Like massive. And, of course, we do bring in boys from outside the family if the Aunties approve. But, you know, we're a Lot."

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

Arden was getting a really bad feeling about this conversation. She didn't look like an elf and there wasn't that scent of elven magic, but Charlie could also be a 'low-blood', they looked more human than elf anyway. "Can you do any magic right now?" she asked, forcing a smile. "I know, nosy, but..." She gave Charlie a little shrug. "I'm really curious."

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

Another thing to NEVER say in front of the Aunties! Elves? Good lord!No, the Gales weren't Fae. Though as the story went they were descended from a Green god of the Forest.

"Sure," Charlie said easily. She set her guitar on the desk and sketched a quick charm to start it playing, then drew a few in the air around the space to contain the noise within it. Then just for fun, she sketched a charm on her hair to shift through all the rainbow colors in a shimmering dance.

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

And, Arden, being very normal, leaned forward and--sniffed? Maybe?

Anyway, totally normal things, don't even worry about it.

"Oh huh," she said, looking a little...consternated maybe? "That's really cool."

Okay. Not an elf. Good to know. Arden let herself relax.

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

"I can do a lot of other stuff, but I figured these were okay for class," Charlie said.

Re: Class discussion

[afraid_of_marshmallows]

"No, no, they're very cool," Arden assured her.

Much cooler than anything Arden herself could do, and also she was freely able to do them.

Re: Class discussion

[wildgalegirl]

Charlie grinned at her. Arden was awfully cute. "I can show you more another time," she offered.