Here's the spell we talked about. Please respond via text. Or at least don't write anything on my skin.
[There are two photos attached the text. The first shows the cover of the book. It's a plain dark red with gold embossed lettering: The Simple, Straightforward Book of Spells. There's no author identified on the front cover. The second is a landscape photo that shows the page the spell is on.
"For the Concentration of Magical Energies (External to Internal)." The spell is a very simple thing and doesn't require any items. It just needs the appropriate marking on the individual to have the spell cast on and the appropriate incantation. The incantation is in English and composed of a series of rhyming couplets. There's nothing particularly notable about it. The page depicting the markings is drawn on an androgynous human body. There's a note at the bottom of that page that reads "To be applied precisely.♦"
The diamond is very small and will likely be recognizable to Prudence as the magical equivalent of a footnote. The actual footnote itself isn't on the page or anything else that Jon has sent.]
[ Ugh, responding via text. She's been practicing a little since their last conversation, at least, but that doesn't mean Prudence likes using phones for this.
The Simple, Straightforward Book of Spells. Curious. Prudence doesn't think she recognizes it, but it's harder still to confirm without an author. Maybe Nick would know. What she does know is that footnote seems vaguely problematic. ]
How does the desired effect compare to the actual effect? If I'm to help you fix your problem I need to know exactly what that is.
What I am has certain requirements. I take Statements from people, stories about their experiences with the supernatural. They can be written Statements that I read or verbal Statements taken directly from a person. Verbal Statements are more filling, as it were, but they also have undesirable side-effects for the subject of the Statement. The spell was meant to enhance the effect I get from the written Statements. They used to be enough, so I just wanted to get back to that point. It's worked and the written Statements are more or less adequate. Someone recently saw fit to give me a verbal Statement without my asking for it. The effects of that have been enhanced, as well. To a point of being extremely uncomfortable.
I need to tone down those effects and just retain the enhancement to written Statements.
[ Just checking. By this description alone he almost sounds like some form of demon, particularly given the comparison to feeding, but that isn't a dealbreaker. Prudence has helped banish demons before; helping weaken one, so to speak, is till within a similar ballpark. ]
I see. I may be able to help you, but I'll need some time. This will require research.
I was a mortal. And I'm not a demon. There are entities in my world that are responsible for all supernatural activity. Some people think of them as gods. Really, they're just beings of extraordinary power that exist on a plane of reality outside our own. They feed on primal fears. The dark, fire, being hunted, dying. And they are those things. They perpetuate them. Some mortals with a particular affinity are selected to be their vessels. It's not like being controlled, though. Not entirely, anyway. I was Jonathan Sims. Now I'm Jonathan Sims, the Archivist. I'm fairly certain I'm still me. More or less.
They're not demons. That would imply we have anything like a hell. We don't. It's hard to say they even have the capacity to think like we do. I assume your demons are capable of conscious thought rather than just animal instinct?
So, they have bodies? The Fears aren't that concrete. Their manifestations or servants can be, but they're concepts. One of them is literally the fear of the dark. It's just a thing that is. Your Lilith's keen on destroying some of them and doesn't seem to get that it's like trying to destroy and idea. It just doesn't work that way.
It makes about as much sense as saying you're going to destroy the concept of the fear of the dark. (Which is a thing that can hate you in my world.) You could destroy the people that worship it. The cursed items associated with it. But it would always exist. Just like you could destroy every representation of a color you can find. But that doesn't stop it existing as a thing.
But no one is running around saying they're the vessel to one, and that the color requires things of them in order to feed. Everybody knows those are the actions of someone possessed by a demon.
If I didn't exist, if cursed objects and all the ways they touch our plane of existence didn't exist, the Fears would still be there. It doesn't need me, I'm just convenient. Believe what you want, but it's not a demon and I'm not possessed.
You said you need to do more research. Fine. Contact me when you've done it or if you need information. This isn't a productive conversation at the moment and I have other things to be doing.
Well of course they would. Demons can exist with or without their vessels. Everyone knows that too. But yes, this really is all rather dull. All that matters is what you are. I'll get back to you, Archivist. Good-bye.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
un: thearchivist; text
Please respond via text.
Or at least don't write anything on my skin.
[There are two photos attached the text. The first shows the cover of the book. It's a plain dark red with gold embossed lettering: The Simple, Straightforward Book of Spells. There's no author identified on the front cover. The second is a landscape photo that shows the page the spell is on.
"For the Concentration of Magical Energies (External to Internal)." The spell is a very simple thing and doesn't require any items. It just needs the appropriate marking on the individual to have the spell cast on and the appropriate incantation. The incantation is in English and composed of a series of rhyming couplets. There's nothing particularly notable about it. The page depicting the markings is drawn on an androgynous human body. There's a note at the bottom of that page that reads "To be applied precisely.♦"
The diamond is very small and will likely be recognizable to Prudence as the magical equivalent of a footnote. The actual footnote itself isn't on the page or anything else that Jon has sent.]
TEXT; un: blackwood
The Simple, Straightforward Book of Spells. Curious. Prudence doesn't think she recognizes it, but it's harder still to confirm without an author. Maybe Nick would know. What she does know is that footnote seems vaguely problematic. ]
How does the desired effect compare to the actual effect?
If I'm to help you fix your problem I need to know exactly what that is.
no subject
I take Statements from people, stories about their experiences with the supernatural.
They can be written Statements that I read or verbal Statements taken directly from a person.
Verbal Statements are more filling, as it were, but they also have undesirable side-effects for the subject of the Statement.
The spell was meant to enhance the effect I get from the written Statements.
They used to be enough, so I just wanted to get back to that point.
It's worked and the written Statements are more or less adequate.
Someone recently saw fit to give me a verbal Statement without my asking for it.
The effects of that have been enhanced, as well.
To a point of being extremely uncomfortable.
I need to tone down those effects and just retain the enhancement to written Statements.
no subject
[ Just checking. By this description alone he almost sounds like some form of demon, particularly given the comparison to feeding, but that isn't a dealbreaker. Prudence has helped banish demons before; helping weaken one, so to speak, is till within a similar ballpark. ]
I see.
I may be able to help you, but I'll need some time. This will require research.
no subject
That's what I am.
The title came with certain, unmentioned complications when I was hired.
no subject
Are you a demon?
Are you a mortal possessed by a demon?
no subject
And I'm not a demon.
There are entities in my world that are responsible for all supernatural activity.
Some people think of them as gods.
Really, they're just beings of extraordinary power that exist on a plane of reality outside our own.
They feed on primal fears.
The dark, fire, being hunted, dying.
And they are those things.
They perpetuate them.
Some mortals with a particular affinity are selected to be their vessels.
It's not like being controlled, though.
Not entirely, anyway.
I was Jonathan Sims.
Now I'm Jonathan Sims, the Archivist.
I'm fairly certain I'm still me.
More or less.
no subject
Understood.
I don't need your life's story, Archivist.
no subject
That would imply we have anything like a hell.
We don't.
It's hard to say they even have the capacity to think like we do.
I assume your demons are capable of conscious thought rather than just animal instinct?
no subject
They don't even all reside in Hell. Many walk the earth, same as you or I.
no subject
The Fears aren't that concrete.
Their manifestations or servants can be, but they're concepts.
One of them is literally the fear of the dark.
It's just a thing that is.
Your Lilith's keen on destroying some of them and doesn't seem to get that it's like trying to destroy and idea.
It just doesn't work that way.
no subject
no subject
How would you go about destroying a color?
A color, let's say, that hates you.
no subject
no subject
It makes about as much sense as saying you're going to destroy the concept of the fear of the dark.
(Which is a thing that can hate you in my world.)
You could destroy the people that worship it.
The cursed items associated with it.
But it would always exist.
Just like you could destroy every representation of a color you can find.
But that doesn't stop it existing as a thing.
no subject
Everybody knows those are the actions of someone possessed by a demon.
no subject
If I didn't exist, if cursed objects and all the ways they touch our plane of existence didn't exist, the Fears would still be there.
It doesn't need me, I'm just convenient.
Believe what you want, but it's not a demon and I'm not possessed.
You said you need to do more research.
Fine.
Contact me when you've done it or if you need information.
This isn't a productive conversation at the moment and I have other things to be doing.
no subject
But yes, this really is all rather dull. All that matters is what you are.
I'll get back to you, Archivist. Good-bye.