Text | un: juzahyodo

[sneaksweet]

Hey.

I don't have anything to advertise or promote right now. [He'll just toss that out there, in case this was the time of the month for that. All he's got are questions.]

I was looking around town. What's with the theaters around here? I heard they got banned? Is that for real? I started acting back home and I'm not abandoning it just because I ended up in a magic world.

How'd they even get banned?

Comments

text - un: CoolSkeleton95

[spaghettimonster]

I DON'T KNOW... BUT, IT'S REALLY FOR REAL. ONLY INSIDE THE CITY WALLS, THOUGH! OUTSIDE THEM, YOU WON'T GET IN TROUBLE.

[Or, at the least, nobody involved in the Outer City aid groups has felt the need to call the law down on him, when he starts doing voices and acting out his stories.]

[sneaksweet]

Do you know why it's only in the city? Is it because there are more people here?

[spaghettimonster]

HMMM. I THINK IT'S BECAUSE... THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE LAW, LIVE IN THE CITY. IT'S A CITY LAW.

AND BESIDES. PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE WALLS DON'T GET THE BENEFITS OF LIVING INSIDE... THEY SHOULDN'T BE STUCK LIVING WITHOUT THEATER.

[sneaksweet]

Wait, what are the benefits of living in the city walls? Not getting infected?

[spaghettimonster]

YOU HAVE TO ADMIT, IT'S A REAL BENEFIT.

[sneaksweet]

I can't really disagree with you. But there has to be more than just that, right?

[spaghettimonster]

YEAH, THERE'S ALL THE TRAPPINGS OF CIVILIZATION. MARKETS... FESTIVALS... WORKSHOPS HELD IN BROTHELS... BUREAUCRACY...

[sneaksweet]

There are workshops in brothels? Aren't there better places?

I don't know if I'd call bureaucracy a plus.

[spaghettimonster]

NOT IF THE BROTHEL EMPLOYEES ARE HOLDING THE WORKSHOP. THEY'RE THE EXPERTS IN FLIRTING.

WELL, THEY DO AN IMPORTANT JOB. WHO ELSE HAS THE PATIENCE TO GENERATE ALL THOSE RULES, AND PAPERWORK ABOUT THE RULES, IN TRIPLICATE? WITHOUT THEM, PEOPLE WOULD MISS THE CHANCE TO GET HEADACHES OVER TAXES...

[sneaksweet]

That does make sense.

I feel like most people aren't that enthused about taxes. Mostly they try to avoid them?

[Wait no, maybe that's because Sakyo's part of the yakuza. Do normal people avoid taxes?]

[spaghettimonster]

I THINK YOU'RE NOT WRONG... OR, MY BROTHER TRIES TO AVOID THEM. I ALWAYS GOT STUCK DOING THE PAPERWORK.

[Better than risking Sans filing them wrong. And Papyrus does, sometimes genuinely, enjoy reading up on all the rules and complications of things like that.]

[sneaksweet]

Sakyo is doing all of the accounting for the theater at home. I haven't really had to look at it before.

How is it?

[spaghettimonster]

IF I HAD TO PICK A SINGLE WORD... TEDIUM.

OF THE MOST CLASSIC KIND! POURING THROUGH MY RECEIPTS... CONSULTING TOMES OF TAX LAW... LOOKING FOR THE LITTLE LOOPHOLES AND TRAPS THAT, IF FAILED, TRIGGER A FINE.

BUT. IF ALL THAT FUN ISN'T REWARDING ENOUGH. I COULD ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THE FRUIT OF MY LABOR. WHEN MY TAXES PAID FOR IMPORTANT SERVICES, LIKE SNOWBALLS.

[sneaksweet]

There's a lot to take in here. You enjoy this kind of stuff? Is it looking for the loopholes?

... The taxes are being used for snowballs? Don't people just make those?

[spaghettimonster]

YEAH, PEOPLE MAKE PERSONAL SNOWBALLS. FOR PERSONAL USE. BUT THE SNOWBALL TAX IS FOR THE SNOWBALL GAME. SOMEONE HAS TO MAKE THEM. AND JOBS NEED PAY.

I DON'T REALLY ENJOY TAXES... BUT, YOU KNOW. IT'S TRADITION.

[sneaksweet]

There was a government run snowball game? This place was pretty weird even without that.

[spaghettimonster]

I THINK IT'S LIKE AEFENGLOM'S FESTIVALS. EVERY MONTH.

WHEN YOU LIVE IN A SMALL PLACE... WHETHER IT'S A CITY WITH DANGERS OUTSIDE THE WALLS, OR A MOUNTAIN WITH A MAGIC BARRIER TRAPPING EVERYONE INSIDE...

IT'S COMMUNITY SERVICE TO MAKE ENTERTAINMENT.

[Well. trying to make entertainment. The jury is out how successful they were at it.]

[sneaksweet]

Sorry, were you trapped in a mountain?

I think theater would be more effective as entertainment.

[spaghettimonster]

YES, IT WASN'T GREAT. I DON'T RECOMMEND IT! STICK TO JUST FEELING TRAPPED BY THE DANGERS OUTSIDE A CITY, WHERE YOU COULD LEAVE AT ANY TIME.

MAYBE THAT'S WHY ANCIENT MONSTERS LOVED THEIR TEDIUM... EVEN THEIR ENTERTAINMENT REFLECTED THEIR IMPRISONMENT. PUZZLES AND SNOWBALL GAMES, RELICS OF A LESS ELECTRONIC AGE...

BUT THAT WAS THEN. WHEN I GOT MIRROR-NAPPED, WE DIDN'T JUST HAVE THEATER. WE HAD TV!! AND YOU'VE EVEN MET OUR MOST FAMOUS CELEBRITY. METTATON! THE MOST EFFECTIVE ENTERTAINER I'VE EVER SEEN!!! PLAYS, COOKING SHOWS, YOU NAME IT.

[sneaksweet]

Can you guys leave the mountain now? Or are you still stuck?

Do you prefer it over here? On this side of the mirror?

[spaghettimonster]

WELL. THAT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK. LAST -I- REMEMBER, WE WERE STILL STUCK.

I ENJOY LIVING UNDER THE SKY... BUT I MISS MY OLD MAGIC. AND I DON'T PREFER SHEDDING.

[Or some of the other more terrible things he's experienced in this world. Thinking his disappeared brother was dead. Full moons. The long dream of Dorchacht. The Rathmores.]

HOW ABOUT YOU?? HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LIFE HERE?

[sneaksweet]

Some of you aren't stuck anymore?
What was your magic before?

I can't believe theater got outlawed. Needing to bond with people is weird too. Where I'm from magic isn't real. [As far as he knows.]

[spaghettimonster]

THAT'S WHAT I HEARD! BUT WE MIGHT BE FROM DIFFERENT UNIVERSES. NEARLY IDENTICAL... EXCEPT THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

IT MIGHT BE HARD TO EXPLAIN, SINCE YOU'RE NOT USED TO MAGIC... I'LL KEEP IT SIMPLE.
I COULD MAKE BONES OUT OF MAGIC. AND MOVE THEM AROUND.
PLUS HEALING.
AND MESSING WITH, UH... GRAVITY.

[A technical explanation of all things blue magic, let alone the full range of what monsters could do, would be best coming from... He's not sure who. Alphys maybe? Someone other than him.]

I HOPE THEY'LL REPEAL THAT RULE. ATTENDING CONCERTS JUST ISN'T THE SAME THING...

DO YOU EVER DREAM ABOUT OTHER PEOPLES' MEMORIES?? I THINK THAT'S THE STRANGEST THING.

[sneaksweet]

Huh. I didn't know that was possible.
Magic bones?

[hey what.]

Not yet. How often is that supposed to happen?

[spaghettimonster]

ASK AROUND. HALF OF EVERYBODY IS FROM EARTH. -AN- EARTH. SOME THINGS IN COMMON... BUT SOME THINGS ARE SUPER DIFFERENT.

AND YES, MAGIC BONES! YOU KNOW, PROJECTILES. BULLETS. BUT LESS BULLETY AND MORE BONEY.

[Does that help? He would demonstrate, but he's a dog now.]

I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN MUCH AT ALL. BUT IT HAPPENS SOMETIMES. MEMORIES LEAKING ACROSS THE BOND, TURNING INTO DREAMS...

OR THOSE SHARED DREAMS. ABOUT OTHER TIMES AND PLACES IN THIS WORLD. LIKE THE DORCHACHT DREAM. OR THE ONE ABOUT THAT CAVE.