WEEK 1 MINGLE - KALMIA

[foundationmods]

All of the guests awoke in their rooms, just like they had before.

Yesterday had been a day of surprises.
First, they'd finally met the person who had brought them here - the Witch of Dimensions, Yuuko.
Secondly, they'd learned they were going to be playing a horrible game.
And most important, they learned that wishes could be granted if they won this game.🗈

Still, for now, it seemed like there wasn't much to do. Was the Witch already in talks with the 'Murderer'? Was the 'victim' already decided upon?

There was no way to know until some day later this week, apparently.

Still, it wasn't all bad. The island was beautiful and the climate just perfect for beachgoing, or taking a cosy walk in the garden. There were also board and card games which would be produced upon request - and the tv in the Sitting Room - to help ease the boredom of it all.

Though, perhaps the guests would prefer to get to know each other instead? On maybe get into some trouble as they roamed the island.

Despite being told someone will die, it...felt remarkably peaceful. Could one of their own really be able to kill someone?

...Or, maybe...this is just the silence that comes just before a massive storm breaks, and sweeps away everything...

MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

CALENDAR | LOCATIONS | PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS

Comments

[very_good_end]

Do they? Or do you just think they do? Did you just decide they do?

...Follow along with me on this. Are you familiar with the 19th century definition and practice of 'magic' and the occult?

[excavated]

In one of the worlds I was in, they definitely had magic. Or at least... the witch that I knew, anyway. [ He says this with rather full confidence and no hesitation at all, even as he keeps his voice calm. ] But I'm vaguely aware of it. Why?

[very_good_end]

Hm. Put that aside, for the moment and travel back in time with me to the 19th century. --Just for a little bit.

Magic was the domain of rich society types enchanted with the taboo nature, and also buying in to forgeries and outright falsities that tried to connect it to 'ancient' times. What was the use of practicing magic? If it was to enact a physical, material change on the world around you, then it is of no value at all.

...But. [pauses]

The nature of magic isn't trying to create something physical. It's to empower oneself. A step of self-actualization. In becoming a 'magic-user,' one sees themselves as a dreadful, powerful figure. One who can perform many amazing feats that defy explanation. And if one is a pitiful little wretch with no actual power to affect the daily events that surround him or her, then the allure of magic would be very strong indeed.

Are you starting to grasp the point?

[excavated]

[ He nods, following along with what she's saying rather closely. ] I think I do. Basically, by becoming a 'magic user' and showing that they're powerful, they can lord that so-called power above everyone else and call it magic because the others can't seem to explain how it happened. Even more so if the person in question wasn't important or wielded a powerful position to begin with...

[very_good_end]

Non, non! That point of view is too biased. You need to evaluate the witch more objectively. Your tone is much too dismissive to understand the true nuance of the witch.

Let me put it this way. Suppose you entered a room and saw me, sitting alone, with an unlit candle on the table. Then, you departed. You return later, and I am still sitting, but now the candle is aflame. When you ask how I lit it, if I were to say 'Oh, I used a magic spell to create a flame that lit the candle,' what would you think?

[excavated]

Hm.

[ He hums a little bit, contemplative as Syaoran rests a hand under his chin. ]

I'd think that you actually used magic, since you're still sitting, and not in a completely different position. Of course, even if that would be my first thought based on assumption and hearing the answer to my question, that doesn't mean that it's the truth.

[very_good_end]

...Then you have accepted the existence of the witch, and that they are an all-powerful being.

[shrugs]

This is not conducive to the role of being the detective, you understand.

[excavated]

So you're saying that the role of the detective is to break that "existence of the witch"? Like using the same example... instead of simply accepting what they did as the truth, someone can come up with a theory that "while I was gone, you stood up from your chair, lit the candle with a lighter and sat back down".

Something like that...? Or am I misunderstanding again?

[very_good_end]

It can certainly entail that, but... not necessarily. The role of the detective is to uncover and expose the truth. In so far as the witch strives to hide and obscure the truth, the detective must go against it.

As for the example you provided: yes. It sounds like you have the right idea. You could also suppose this witch carried a lighter in her pocket, or took the candle to another source of fire and returned it, or any of many other theories.

[excavated]

I see. It's like a fight in that sense... but a logical one. The witch tries to fool someone into thinking that they did something through the means of magic while the detective has to figure out how the self proclaimed witch did all of this outside of any 'magical' means. There's definitely a lot of options to go for if you want to explain it.

[very_good_end]

Yes, and you must keep trying until you find the correct answer.

--Ah, but you are still possessed on your biases. It is too simple to call it an act of 'deception', or at least it's not that simple. A 'witch' is more than a simple fraudster or charlatan.

For one thing, witches tend to truly believe in their power. You will never hear a witch say "You're right, I lied." If a witch did that, it would be the end of the witch.

cw suicide mentions

[excavated]

So basically any sort of admission to them not using magic would be akin to them killing themselves. So they wouldn't say that they lied because that would mean that they wouldn't have that 'power' anymore.

[very_good_end]

I didn't say it would result in the death of the individual. I said it would result in the end of the witch.

[excavated]

'Death' is an 'end' of something, you know. It might be a literal death, but it is a proverbial one. The "end of the witch" would be "the death of the witch", even if the person themselves might not be literally dead.