imatreenow | nineteen [written/voice/action]

[Mithos had come to in the forest, and the first thing he knew was that he was alone. The second thing he knew was that the mana here was so thin he couldn't sense it at all. A ripple of alarm spread through him, reaching wider with each second, but he forced himself to remain calm. He called out the names of his companions, but he didn't expect to hear any response cutting through the silence of the trees. His immediate concern is warmth. Through the trees, their limbs black and bare, he can make out the shapes of houses in the near distance - a village. He knows he can't risk venturing inside, especially if he doesn't even know where he is. The clothes he had woken up in are loose on his frame and they provide some protection against the cold, but they can't compare to a warm cloak. The upside of being a mage, however, is that you can build a fire in no time.

Once the flames are crackling, he can turn his attention to his next concern: the small book he had found in the snow, with his name embossed on the cover. He leafs through it, curious. And piece by piece, he figures out how to use it.]

[WRITTEN - mediocrely filtered to Kratos and Yuan]

Kratos and Yuan,

I found your names in this journal device. I hope this message finds its way to you. Where are you, and is Martel with you? I'm somewhere in the woods, but I don't know how I got here. I can see a village nearby, but I haven't approached and I don't know what village it is.

Please reply quickly.

Mithos

[Later, once the situation has been sorted out and he's settled in at House 8 with his two best bros in the whole wide world, he opens his journal again, this time to address a larger audience. He's had a lot to think about, a lot to digest. And perhaps his next move is foolish, but he feels that it's something he must do.]

[VOICE]

Good afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to listen... This message may not seem important, and maybe it will mean nothing to you...but it means something to me. My name is Mithos Yggdrasill. I arrived here earlier today, and the situation has been explained to me clearly enough. I'm not here to ask about that. [A small pause in which he can practically hear Yuan rolling his eyes from somewhere in the house, and his lips twtch in quiet amusement for a second before he calmly continues.]

I come from a world in conflict. Until recently, two powerful countries were at war - for nearly a thousand years, they fought each other for land and resources and power. That war has ended, but there is another, perhaps even more deeply-rooted war that still rages. People hold a lot of prejudices against each other. Elves look down on humans, and they look down on half-elves for having human blood inside them. Humans fear and despise half-elves for posessing magic that they lack. Everyone looks for someone else to blame. They look for someone they can put down to make themselves feel superior.

I don't know what your home worlds are like. Maybe they're similar to the world I know, or maybe everyone has learned to live together peacefully. I just want to be clear... I don't want to deceive anybody.

I happen to be a half-elf. I'm staying in the village right now, but if that makes you uncomfortable, I... Well, no, I won't understand. Whatever my blood may be, I'm no different from any of you. But I'll respect your wishes. I don't mean to cause trouble while I'm here.

That's all I wanted to say.

[ACTION]

[In the afternoon, delighted to learn that literally nobody cares that he's a half-elf, Mithos wanders out to explore the village more fully. First stop: clothes that fit better, because the set he woke up in were clearly meant for someone taller. He'll linger around the plaza, checking out each shop and stopping by the smithy to procure a sword. He doesn't expect to find the Eternal Sword here, but he feels a little naked without any blade at all at his side. He can be found anywhere in the village, a thoughtful look on his face as he learns the streets.]

[OOC NOTE: For those unfamiliar with Tales of Symphonia, or those who need a refresher, Mithos has returned from a mallynap thrown 4000 years into the past, to a time when he was this totally cool hero who stopped a war, stopped the world from dying, worked to end discrimination, and things like that. It's also worth noting that, to anyone who knows him, it will be apparent that he is younger - shorter, rounder face, higher voice. Basically how he was a year ago ~~so his icons are actually accurate again~~. But he's still recognizable as himself.

Also, I'm staying with a friend tonight and then tomorrow we drive back to campus, so I'll be tagging as much as I can today but after that I won't be around again until late Wednesday night at the earliest. Just a heads up!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He can't help but smile as he listens. He doesn't know what he expected from his announcement - he had been two parts nervous, one part determined, and one part apprehensive - but these responses are easing his worries.]

It's nice to meet you too, Aang.

I would be lying if I said that I don't get frustrated by the discrimination I still see, even though the world is finally at peace. [...Well, the worlds now.] But...I've also seen some people try to change their beliefs. With enough time, I think everyone will learn to accept others, regardless of whether they're elves, humans, or in between. That's why I can't stop trying.

I'm glad. I think that's very a good reason to keep trying. If you don't do what you can to help people change their ways, that lingering discrimination could one day become the seeds for new war. I wish that peace was just as simple as ending war... [Not that that was a simple feat in itself.] but I learned in the year I've been at home that it doesn't end there. You have to do what you can to reach out to people, to make sure the new era can truly be one of love, and peace.

The world can't afford another war...it's only just begun to recover from the last one. I've done what I can to prevent the outbreak of another war, but it seems like there's always more that needs to be done.

I see. It does seem like there is always more. [Yu Dao is over for Aang, but he knows there could still be years of crises in his lifetime that he's just not aware of. And he's still puzzled by connecting the dots in Mithos's life.]

But that's why you have to be steadfast and hold onto what you believe in. Even if the things after the war are tough... they're still less than the actual war. And a lot of it's about compromise.

Compromise... Yeah, nothing will change unless both sides put forth the effort. If two countries that have had bad blood between them for a thousand years can realize that something needs to change, then I think there's hope for even the most stubborn people.

Even if it's sometimes overwhelming to think about all the steps that still need to be taken...I'm not going to give up. I can't, as long as I have the support of my sister and companions.

Right... I would never have made it this far if it weren't for all the friends I'd made. I would've... I guess I would've just kept running from my responsibility if I never met Katara and Sokka. I'm glad you have people like that. [Pause] They... they should be able to make sure you hold onto your principles. And inspire you to take on that responsibility.

I was upset about the way the world was...the way it still is, even if it's getting better now. But I don't know if I would have tried to do anything to change it if Kratos, my teacher, hadn't encouraged me to, and I know I wouldn't have been able to fight as hard as I did for as long as I did without my sister's support.

[Kratos... He was from Raine's world, too. And he was Aang's penpal once. But he didn't know he was... friends with Mithos? Unless this was his grandpa or something...]

I understand what you mean. We - we both got encouraged to help change our worlds by the people we care about. [He never imagined he'd have such a thing in common with Mithos.] Through my friends, I was able to see the pain the Fire Nation had put the world through. And... and I found out that I lost my people to them. That made me work to change things, too... s-so I could try to make up for letting them down.

You mentioned the Avatar, whose job is to keep the peace among the world's nations... [He isn't sure if the Avatar is a person, or perhaps an order of people who work together, but he's curious.] Do you work with them? [Aang sounds like he had done a lot for his world.]

Edited 2013-02-09 21:05 (UTC)

Actually, I am the Avatar.

Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize.

That's okay. It's my fault for not explaining it. The Avatar's one person who gets reincarnated over and over again to do that job for the world and also be a bridge for the Spirit World. I'm just the latest.

That's a lot of responsibility for one person. [And a lot of information to wrap his mind around...] I can see why you'd be glad to have friends you can rely on.

It is. But I've been able to manage. You're right that having friends is so helpful.

And you don't have a title like that, do you? But you've still done all you could to help your world and change it. [He hesitates for a moment, wondering if this all is another lie. It's had to doubt this earnest voice.] I think that's even neater.

[He blushes a little at Aang's compliment.] People have been calling us heroes for everything we did. It's strange... I never would have even dreamed of all this a year ago, when my sister and I were moving from place to place and just getting by on our own.

[He pauses, quietly at that. It's hard to talk to him like this, as if he doesn't know anything - about what will happen to him. To his sister. He wonders what would happen if he found out, and he's afraid. Afraid that Mithos would become a bad person again. Why couldn't he stay good? Aang wanted to find a way to help him, to change him for the better. If this really was for real... Aang wanted to make sure this goodness stayed.]

There's a lot in life that we don't expect. I didn't know I was the Avatar until I was 12. Heroes can come from the most unlikely places, but they're always the people who stand up for what's good and right. For love and peace. It sounds like you earned that title. A-and I hope you can hold onto every good moment for what it's worth.

Something needed to be done, or the planet would have died. We were in a position to do something...so we did. Now that our efforts have been recognized, I think we're in a position where we can make a difference in the way people think about half-elves, too. [Even though it was strange to suddenly be celebrated as a hero, he can't help but like having that kind of approval from others.]

I hope you guys can succeed. Why would people dislike half-elves, anyway? You don't look too different from most people.

We're not that different at all. But instead of seeing what we all have in common, many humans and elves just focus on the small differences.

I see. That's not very fair of them at all.

nineteen [written/voice/action]

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