Spell 04 -- Video

[eye_of_isis]

[Sadie, if you know her, actually looks a little distressed.

She's mostly annoyed, though]

Right. So. That--and you all know exactly what I'm talking about, don't pretend you don't--but that? That whole incident? That is why you don't say the name of things you don't want showing up at your doorstep. Words have power. Names have a lot of power, and true names? True names can be used to kill. Whoever called that Thing--thanks a lot! If anyone needs me, I've got some potions to prepare before going to see if that Thing is actually in the city or if it was just projecting itself psychically.

[As she cuts it, you can hear her grumbling about "stupid mortals" and "honestly, don't you people watch television or read?"]

Comments

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[demon_brat]

For once, I agree.

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[eye_of_isis]

Miracle of miracles.

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[demon_brat]

Indeed.

That was not a good move of ours.

[backinakidflash]

So you want everyone to avoid names and jump through hoops to do it? I'll be Joe, and you can be Billie Joe, and we've lots of room for Bobby Joe and Betty Joe , and when we run out of Joe names, we'll move onto Bob names.

I'd rather have the bad stuff turn up on my doorstep right now than spend the rest of my life scared of it. If it's around, we take care of it. If it's not, that doesn't mean things are any better I the long run.

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice. [He looks around expectantly.] Oh look, tv lied.

[eye_of_isis]

[Eyeroll]

There's not being afraid of the monster under the bed and then there's being moronic. I'm not saying to be afraid of it, but there's absolutely no reason for us to go around calling it. There are other people on this turtle, after all. Ones who can't fight it.

[backinakidflash]

Are you seriously telling me it turns up when someone says its name?

Fine. I'll just call him Dumbass.

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[escarabajo]

Beetlej-- wait, someone made that joke already. Never mind.

[SORRY HE HAD TO GET IT OUT OF HIS SYSTEM.]

Normally, I'd disagree with you, but with something like that? [Him? It?] I can understand being a little more careful.

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[eye_of_isis]

[She really doesn't get that joke]

Anything that can cause the turtle to get as sick as it did needs to be treated like it's a nuclear bomb.

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[escarabajo]

[you should watch more TV, sadie.]

Who called it out in the first place? You would've think it'd show its face earlier. This just feels like... taunting.

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[magicalpadawan]

There's a reason no one except my parents and Harry know my real name. [She sounds -- a bit put-out, here, and looks it, too, though she's standing well back from her screen as a matter of course.]

And hey, we're not all stupid. Promise. ....I could try and do a locating spell, if that's quicker than a potion. Probably not, though, I think you have to have a piece of whatever it is.

[A beat.] ....If it helps, I don't feel anything nasty around. And I usually do.

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[eye_of_isis]

The potions are for my benefit. I don't have Isis to draw on here, I need the boost.

[She nods]

I'm hoping it was just projecting itself and isn't actually here. It's probably a lot closer than we'd like, though.

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[magicalpadawan]

Isis, huh. [She looks slightly impressed, but unsurprised. She's actually never met a god, but her teacher has, anyway. Gods and demons and angels and faeries are just part of the whole mess of crazy that is Molly's life.] Can't say I've got anyone that impressive looking out for me.

[Which is not the entire truth, but hey. She's not gonna run around blabbing about the Winter Knight being her teacher, is she.]

I'm sure it is. Big nasties like that like to, um, lurk, I've found. God, I wish Harry were here.

[video]

[starcharter]

[Cue the Russian guy with a very heavy accent.]

I know one of the men who did so-- he is arrogant enough to play with forces greater than himself.

[THANKS, KHAN.]

I have read through the old network logs but is there anything else you can tell me about this entity? There doesn't seem to be much of anything specific about it.

[video]

[eye_of_isis]

Oh, lovely. If I see him, he might end up becoming very, very furry.

[Or a slug]

I don't know much about it either, honestly. I know it's evil, it can influence otherwise harmless kedan, and it requires sacrifices or at least likes them, but that's all I really know.

[video]

[starcharter]

I do not understand the expression.

[It is an expression, right? Because telepathy he can understand. Magic is a bit too abstract for him.]

Do you know how it might influence these kedans? It would be helpful to know if someone is affected or not.

[And maybe they could find a way to break whatever control this Malicant has on the kedan. They save the kedan and possibly find out something useful about their enemy. Win-win.]

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[cmdreffingshepard]

Fear has power. If we learn to fear a name so much, what else could it do to us? Draw it out, I say, and inevitably it'll show us a weakness. How else are we going to destroy it if all we know is fear?

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[eye_of_isis]

Like I said, being unafraid and being stupidly brave are two different things. Calling something before we're ready to deal with it is pretty stupid.

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[cmdreffingshepard]

Where's the evidence that saying its name somehow calls it? I haven't seen any.

[audio]

[gathersnomoss]

... You mean the guy who was bragging about how he read everything on the network while doing it? Because I seem to recall people have mentioned the whole 'naming the thing gives it power' being covered.

I suspect the post was just to remind us it's still there. If it thrives on negative emotions, once we know it exists, it's in its benefit to keep reminding us its out there biding its time. And that it has access to the network as well.

[A bit like a mazoku. Which actually makes Zel feel more confident, because mazoku are powerful, dangerous beings from his world, but they are a known quantity. Zelgadis has fought them, and beaten a few (ignore the number of powerful ones that nearly killed him). It's dangerous to think of this new threat as 'just like this other thing', because Zel knows the exceptions will be lethal, but saying 'this is like something I have destroyed, that can be destroyed' is better than a nebulous thing of evil.]

[audio]

[eye_of_isis]

Yes, that thing, and obviously people didn't get the message or it wouldn't be in the city right now.

Re: [audio]

[gathersnomoss]

Not everyone has good listening comprehension. Or common sense.

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[fotia]

Hey look, to be fair, it's not as if we actually expect bad things to happen, like getting kidnapped when we say Candlej—

[BZZZT! And the feed cuts off.]

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[eye_of_isis]

Cute, Valdez.

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[zinthosmantra]

Potions?

[ Raven sounds vaguely interested. ]

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[eye_of_isis]

Yeah, I usually make them to give me a boost of magic. There's others, but those and healing potions are the ones I use the most.