ii; magician, the stern will and unfailing determination

[complementing]

Name: Minako Arisato
Date: July 3rd
Format: Video

[Hello friends, here is a video of Koromaru. He's sitting on a bed, looking as happy and alert as can be, with a sign hanging from his neck that says:

ATTENTION ALL WITCH FRIENDS!
FOLLOW THE WITCH CODE SO YOU DON'T EXPLODE!
CREATE A BOND IF YOU'RE FOND OF LIFE!

Koromaru is patiently motionless for about five seconds, and then he raises himself up to vigorously shake his body, turning the sign around and askew. Minako laughs off screen, a hand reaching out to pull it off him.]

Okay, fine, I'm relieving you of your duty.

[Camera view change! Minako is now the focus, holding the sign with her free hand and offering a jaunty wiggle of her fingers as a hello.]

Yes, I know it's really dumb, but really dumb rhymes help people remember them better! And this is important. If you saw the Coven infirmary during that shared dream last month, I think you'd agree with me. Nobody should-- nobody needs to go through that.

I know it might not be easy for some people to make a Bond. It has a capital B, after all, it's important and telepathic-y and binding and things here are weird and confusing as they are without adding that to the mix.

But remember, you can un-Bond anytime you want! If you don't like your partner, you can find and Bond with a new one you trust later down the line. Putting it off will only worsen how much you're endangering yourself the longer you wait. And for what? Pride? Solitude? Forgetfulness?

[Her eyes go wide with a beseeching look.]

It's not worth your life. Please take care of yourself first. The rules in this world are different, and it hasn't and won't be easy to adapt to them, but this is about your health. You owe it to yourself to be in a comfortable mental and physical condition. If you don't want to do it for yourself, then do it for the people who are waiting for you back in your own world. Think of the promises you've made and the regrets you'd have if you let everything end here, so far away from home.

[She's quiet for a moment, and then huffs.]

So-- here! If you're a Monster and you're willing to Bond with a Witch, reply to this! If you're a Witch and you're looking for a Monster, you should definitely reply to this! Get it done so you have one less thing to worry about while you're on this world!

[A bright, encouraging smile.]

And seriously, if you're trying to find a Bond, take care, okay? The hallucinations and headaches get pretty bad.

Thanks for listening.

Comments

voice

[fifty]

I'm not here to find a bond but you can get potions at the coven if you want to help with the feral thing, so like, I dunno if bonds are really that super necessary. [You'll never take him alive, bond coppers!

Warning: potions endorsed by America may or may not actually work as well as advertised. Talk to your witch doctor before seeing if Potion is right for you.]

Voice;

[fiddlestick]

Well said! I hope people listen...

voice;

[haillenarte]

[the pocketwatch catches the tail end of francel's laughter as he, well, can't help but chuckle over the animated and adorable shots of minako with koromaru. he's sympathetic to the content of her speech as well, but, you know... dog.]

Your caution is much appreciated, milady.

I do like your wolf pup.

Voice;

[hearthebell]

Do you really think that there are that many people who are refraining from establishing a Bond by choice? The benefits are obvious.

un: Caster | voice

[futhark]

[ What a well-trained dog... that's how you get all the views. *gasp* the dog is a clickbait! ]

But how many witches have you seen explode since you got here? And what I mean, some of us are surely enjoying our brief freedom.

[ The joking lilt in his tone, makes it pretty clear is not serious. Even if part of what he says is true. It's not that he's opposed to idea Bonds, but being untethered to someone is new for him. Pragmatic choice is to find someone, but, eh, he still got time... ]

private

[digiorno]

[So . . . bonding.]

[Giorno has neither broadcast nor concealed his feelings about this. That is, he has not made them public on purpose, but one ill-timed panic attack in the Coven basement blew his cover for anyone who happened to be there at the time. Not that many people know, probably. But more than zero people know, and he hates it. His paranoia is at an all-time high, not helped, of course, by not being Bonded. And after the incident last month at full moon—]

[He doesn't believe, yet, that it's an absolute necessity to be bonded. Or rather: he does, but is choosing to lie to himself. Still, he can't help but respond.]

I like your rhyme. And Koromaru is a very good mascot.

Do you truly think there's no danger in a Bond? That it fixes all problems and creates none?

voice;

[kaowont]

[ She's got a point, but... — might as well tease her a little first. ]

Hahah. Sounds like you're offering to be a dating service of sorts. It's reeeally cute, actually. So, if I'm a Monster looking to be matched up with another happy single, do you need to interview me or something? Ask me twenty questions? Get to know me and my hobbies?

[complementing]

I didn't know that there were potions for the Monsters! I'm glad you have them. But Witches can't suppress their magic in the same way, as far as I know. We're giving off too much magic energy, it'd be like putting taping down a hole that's about to crack in a dam.

[complementing]

Thank you, and I hope so too. We should take care of each other, and make sure we're all doing okay. Miss Nessie and Mhairi can only help us so much. And I think they'll be especially busy after what happened last month.

[fifty]

Maybe they make magic-draining potions! [Modern medicine, except not modern and also magical.] Could you guys do more magic real fast to help if you don't want to bond? That's how it works, right? [America has only the vaguest idea of the witch life.]

[complementing]

I'm glad it is! I don't want to sound like I'm nagging people into doing it, but I think it's too important to not bring up.

[Koromaru barks when he hears mention of him, and Minako giggles.]

He says thank you. Though he's not a wolf, he's an albino Shiba Inu.

[whomthebelltolls]

No.

[And then there's this asshole.]

[complementing]

It might be obvious, but it's never easy to trust complete strangers. Some people just don't have the temperament for it, or were taken advantage of before.

[Like this girl, right here.]

[complementing]

[You've discovered her secret oh no!]

If that's true, then I sincerely hope those people are enjoying that freedom! [She laughs wryly.] I'm the last person who wants people to be unhappy or stifled by their life here. I just want people to be safe, in the end.

private;

[complementing]

[She hums softly.]

I didn't say that. It's not a cure-all.

[A little rustle-- she's reaching for a book, it sounds like, and flipping through it.]

From what I read, it's not a passive connection. Witches get feedback from their Bonded Monsters, and vice versa. It's a give and take from both sides, so of course there'd be chances for misunderstandings to happen, or feelings to get confused. It's just like any other relationship between two people. It takes work to keep it healthy.

[digiorno]

That's true. But that's not quite what I meant.

[How to put this . . .]

The rules in this world are different, you said. That's true. And I know the Bond holds a great deal of cultural weight here, so for the natives it means something very specific. But for us, the people who aren't native, those rules don't come naturally.

I don't believe that, of the dozens who have arrived in this world through the mirrors, that none of them would exploit a Bond. People just aren't that kind, in my experience.

Doesn't that concern you? [A beat, before:] I mean that sincerely. I'm not trying to be sarcastic. I'm just trying to understand.

[complementing]

Phffahaha! I didn't intend for it to sound like that. But if you want me to write you a recommendation, then [she clears her throat for a "professional" voice] you can submit yourself to a thorough interview process, and after three to five business days, a summary of your worthiness as a Bond will be available in paper and-or Pocketwatch format to distribute to potential partners.

[complementing]

[Aw come on Maria, she thought you were cool.]

Okay, thank you for your opinion.

[fiddlestick]

Yeah...they've already done so much for us. The least we can do is try to make their lives a little easier.

So have you found a bond yet?

[complementing]

[A little pause.]

No, you're right. It worries me. People aren't that kind. People can be cruel, and those are the people who know how to hide it for as long as they need to in order to get what they want.

[May Ikutsuki rot in hell for what he did to her team.]

But I also believe that people can be helpful and honest and good. It's scary, being here right now. I think a lot of other people are scared too. If I can reach out and help someone, I'm willing to take the risk of getting burned.

[complementing]

Ehehe. Not yet. Which is definitely hypocritical of me, considering what I just posted. But after I answer everyone on here, I'll be asking a few people and seeing who says yes.

What about you, Elliot?

[fiddlestick]

A little, but the point's still valid. Good luck asking people! I'm sure someone will say yes.

Yeah, I do. The aspect of exploding made me really nervous, so I tried to find a bond right away.

[whomthebelltolls]

[She is cool. Ice cold.]

That is not an opinion, that is a decision. An opinion is what led to that decision.

I will say, I believe it has been mentioned that one can form a Bond between two Witches or two Monsters instead, though with a reduced efficacy. It can still be possible to ward off the effects in such a way.

[complementing]

Hmm...

[Cue some page flipping as she looks through her notes.]

Theoretically that might work? And I'll definitely look into some magic dampening potions, thank you for the idea. But the way I see it, getting rid of all the magic kind of defeats the purpose of having magic in the first place, you know? If people want to help fight the Cwyld, or help research a cure for the infection, they need magic to do it.

[fifty]

Oh, yeah. Maybe only like, minor magic-draining potions. [America is helping.] ...Or magic fireworks shows every time you guys get too much magic in you! [America is helping more!]