151 visions of the future // Inspiration
[ off the network ]
Divination is significantly more difficult in the City, much to my chagrin. I had my suspicions before, but now that I am finding myself making a concerted effort at it I am certain that there is some force within this place that dampens foresight. Perhaps it is related to whatever restricts passage from here to other worlds, or it's the same thing - if you can't see it, you certainly can't go there. It generally is more difficult to see futures on other worlds, and I will admit that I never quite got the hang of it just as I never got the hang of inter-dimensional travel. Nevertheless, this shouldn't be so difficult - I'm looking for one thing, perhaps even a specific something, which might explain a temporal divergence. So far, however, Yuuko and I have found nothing. It is an exercise in frustration.
More frustrating is the knowledge that I may never know. This may prove to be a question that I cannot answer, as I shan't be returning to any of the worlds in question and it is somewhat questionable that I may leave the City as the same being I was when I entered. It is a moot point from a completely selfish perspective, I suppose. I'm no longer involved and by all rights should simply shrug my shoulders and tell Xiao Lang that he must figure it out himself. Even if it is related to events I am concerned with, my hand in things was unfortunately withdrawn along with my departure from the mortal world. Perhaps I persevere in part because I realize that I shouldn't.
We will try again at the harvest moon; if there is something to be seen, we will see it then. With some luck, maybe there won't be a curse on that day as there was this month.
Among all of the remarks about the curses, one thing I haven't heard in a while is any sign of familiarity with specific ones among the City's older residents. Someone must have gotten their inspiration back.~
Speaking of which Tangentially, the month of August has passed twice during my time here and, looking back, I realize that I sort of wasn't expecting that to happen. I cannot tell you what I was expecting to happen because, uncharacteristically for me, it wasn't anything in particular. Nonetheless, I feel like a rock that has been thrown into a whirlpool and drifted its way to the bottom, oblivious to the tempest around it. It's not a bad feeling, but as with any unusual circumstance it requires that one take up the pen.
So, City: what, if anything, would it have been useful to have known when you first arrived here? It doesn't need to be something practical. For example, a note regarding the cherry tree in Xanadu or the optional nature of breathing would have saved me a lot of initial confusion. That sort of thing; I'm just curious.
[filter]
I'm no closer to an answer than when you initially asked about it, except that I think I know what to look for. I'll have something more concrete in a month, although I can't say what.
Divination is significantly more difficult in the City, much to my chagrin. I had my suspicions before, but now that I am finding myself making a concerted effort at it I am certain that there is some force within this place that dampens foresight. Perhaps it is related to whatever restricts passage from here to other worlds, or it's the same thing - if you can't see it, you certainly can't go there. It generally is more difficult to see futures on other worlds, and I will admit that I never quite got the hang of it just as I never got the hang of inter-dimensional travel. Nevertheless, this shouldn't be so difficult - I'm looking for one thing, perhaps even a specific something, which might explain a temporal divergence. So far, however, Yuuko and I have found nothing. It is an exercise in frustration.
More frustrating is the knowledge that I may never know. This may prove to be a question that I cannot answer, as I shan't be returning to any of the worlds in question and it is somewhat questionable that I may leave the City as the same being I was when I entered. It is a moot point from a completely selfish perspective, I suppose. I'm no longer involved and by all rights should simply shrug my shoulders and tell Xiao Lang that he must figure it out himself. Even if it is related to events I am concerned with, my hand in things was unfortunately withdrawn along with my departure from the mortal world. Perhaps I persevere in part because I realize that I shouldn't.
We will try again at the harvest moon; if there is something to be seen, we will see it then. With some luck, maybe there won't be a curse on that day as there was this month.
Among all of the remarks about the curses, one thing I haven't heard in a while is any sign of familiarity with specific ones among the City's older residents. Someone must have gotten their inspiration back.~
Speaking of which Tangentially, the month of August has passed twice during my time here and, looking back, I realize that I sort of wasn't expecting that to happen. I cannot tell you what I was expecting to happen because, uncharacteristically for me, it wasn't anything in particular. Nonetheless, I feel like a rock that has been thrown into a whirlpool and drifted its way to the bottom, oblivious to the tempest around it. It's not a bad feeling, but as with any unusual circumstance it requires that one take up the pen.
So, City: what, if anything, would it have been useful to have known when you first arrived here? It doesn't need to be something practical. For example, a note regarding the cherry tree in Xanadu or the optional nature of breathing would have saved me a lot of initial confusion. That sort of thing; I'm just curious.
[filter]
I'm no closer to an answer than when you initially asked about it, except that I think I know what to look for. I'll have something more concrete in a month, although I can't say what.