View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Bella's house gets done, and she fills it up with things. She experiments with magic, and theorizes when she has more data to work with; when she runs out of her steadily increasing mana supply for a day she studies Quenya. One morning she sits bolt upright in bed, realizes she has not seen a single wheel since she got here, and runs off to Mahtan to explain the concept, which is, it turns out, new.
When Fëanáro is feeling sociable she hangs out with him. He finishes his novel. (In it, the school turns him over to social workers and adopt him out, he escapes his foster family, he encounters a dragon and talks his way past it with stories about Arda, he studies wizardry and is unreasonably effective at it, when the dragon opens a portal to Arda he sneaks through too and the Valar slay the dragon, he fixes his mother with magic, and then he masters planar travel himself and conquers Bella's plane.) He finishes his typewriter, too; Bella's of the opinion that it would have been easier if he made vowels separate instead of consonant-hats, but it works okay like so. She acquires one when there is more than one, and learns to type, because crystal balls are a long time coming.
She has made some progress, though. She finds the common thread in dud combinations that produced an aura, and successfully decomposes all her original spells into pieces and begins to make new combinations. Most of these are trivial like the increased character limit arcane mark. Reverse-engineering her undead-damaging spell, though, gets her (small) arcane healing well in advance of when she was expecting to have that down. So anybody who lives on her block and cuts themselves cooking breakfast can knock on her door - or that of anybody who's getting the spells as she turns them out - and get that seen to without bothering a Maia.
Once a month she sees Miriel. Bella doesn't have any ideas that land any better than "forget you forgot something". But forgetting the contents of that foolish, foolish oath is at least a holding pattern that lets Miriel pretty much live her life, so, therapeutic success? ...Bella makes sure to remind Fëanáro that he is very adorable and lovable and adored and loved.
+ Show First Post
subtly_artistic
subtly_artistic
"I'm thinking of giving a lecture on therapy and subtle arts as practiced in my plane."
"I expect it would be eagerly attended."
"Well, let me know if there's anything you need, all right?"
And someone waves urgently at him and he walks away, frowning.
subtly_artistic
Bella writes up a lecture that is remarkably subtle - for her - about subtle arts, the practice of therapy, and the sort of historical context she told Rúmil about, and sees about booking a lecture.
This one will probably have an even broader audience than the magic ones; they book her a large lecture hall, delightedly, and express astonishment at how many things she's doing all the time.
subtly_artistic
Yes, well, she does like to be busy.
She delivers her lecture. Subtle artists exist on her plane, and have this range of innate and developed ability! Incontinent mindreaders are a thing but they can usually be trained to stop that, which is good because insert spiel about the importance of privacy of thought. This is also the foundation of subtle arts therapeutic practice: confidentiality! And informed consent! This is the formal definition of informed consent. This is the not-in-the-local-sense-an-oath she took about this when she started her course of study. Here's how she was educated for the year of college she attended before she tripped and fell into Valinor, practicing doing things gently and without looking at anything she wasn't supposed to and being periodically lectured with her class about not being judgmental about the contents of people's minds. The following "therapeutic practices" are controversial and, in several places, illegal. To make the whole thing less passive-aggressive she includes a section on advanced psionic workings she has heard of but can't demonstrate, shows off some teekay, describes pyrokinesis, mentions lucid dreaming.
She delivers her lecture. Subtle artists exist on her plane, and have this range of innate and developed ability! Incontinent mindreaders are a thing but they can usually be trained to stop that, which is good because insert spiel about the importance of privacy of thought. This is also the foundation of subtle arts therapeutic practice: confidentiality! And informed consent! This is the formal definition of informed consent. This is the not-in-the-local-sense-an-oath she took about this when she started her course of study. Here's how she was educated for the year of college she attended before she tripped and fell into Valinor, practicing doing things gently and without looking at anything she wasn't supposed to and being periodically lectured with her class about not being judgmental about the contents of people's minds. The following "therapeutic practices" are controversial and, in several places, illegal. To make the whole thing less passive-aggressive she includes a section on advanced psionic workings she has heard of but can't demonstrate, shows off some teekay, describes pyrokinesis, mentions lucid dreaming.
Rúmil attends, and beams the whole time. It is a little bit disruptive. There are debates in the public forums. She is invited to participate in those too.
People stand up and speak their piece, at considerable length, and then there's a brief exchange with someone who disagrees. They are very well-attended.
subtly_artistic
She shows up to them. (Although in case someone is unbearably longwinded she brings her notes on advanced arcane healing and things to teekay-fidget with.)
Everyone is unbearably longwinded, truth be told, but they're also talented speakers and they get almost immediately to the root of the question, which is whether it's right to use mind-altering abilities of any kind to change peoples' undesirable behaviors.
subtly_artistic
She thinks she has prooooobably seeded this discussion well enough that she doesn't need to be pushy about it. She listens in case something changes her opinion.
Well, it doesn't sound like they're going to adopt professional consent standards any time soon. But there is definitely a discussion seeded. There is very much a discussion seeded. People are only implying their opponents are homosexuals a little bit.
No sign of whether any of this will trickle back to Mandos.
subtly_artistic
Well. She can be patient about things that are as scary as all that.
But she goes back to Lórien after her de-fuzzing option has had a chance to circulate among the target population anyway.
But she goes back to Lórien after her de-fuzzing option has had a chance to circulate among the target population anyway.
They are surprisingly non-angry about learning what exactly happened. Some of them would appreciate some de-fuzzing, some of them figure that whatever they worked out with Mandos was for the best.
subtly_artistic
She's not going to push it. She will sit with whoever wants to be defuzzed and go sweep sweep sweep.
It takes a long time. But it does work, just fine, no real complications.
subtly_artistic
Good.
She keeps half an ear on the debates, but right now she's focusing mostly on arcane healing. Does Fëanáro want to help or is he consumed by the mechanical loom?
She keeps half an ear on the debates, but right now she's focusing mostly on arcane healing. Does Fëanáro want to help or is he consumed by the mechanical loom?
Distractible as he is, 'arcane healing' is able to tempt him away from the loom whenever he's got any mana or is just tired of sitting still. He is also very enthusiastic about Rúmil having eyes.
subtly_artistic
Good. So's she.
It might come down to just flooding him with enough positive energy; but they should also be sure there's a way to feel around any detail work that needs doing in the process and handle runoff if there's an energy overshoot. Lots of little kinks to work out. It might take them a whole week.
It might come down to just flooding him with enough positive energy; but they should also be sure there's a way to feel around any detail work that needs doing in the process and handle runoff if there's an energy overshoot. Lots of little kinks to work out. It might take them a whole week.