paradisa | ➹.26

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alleria windrunner

➹.26

[Alleria is out at the archery range, shooting arrows at a target like she does pretty much every time I post for her. Alleria: predictable badass.

She's got the journal open, so people may hear the rhythmic "thwump" of her arrows perfectly hitting dead center every time.

Eventually, she dictates to the journal, though she'll pause every now and then to release another arrow.]

We come from many worlds in this place. And all our different worlds have different histories.

But what we may be overlooking is that our different worlds have different legends and myths. As this place seems to like to toss us into mythological worlds every now and then -- [A pause, and the "thwump" of an arrow hitting its target.]

I propose we tell one another the stories of our cultures. Again, not our histories, though as is the case with Quel'Thalas, the two may overlap.

We are one culture now, in some way, as long as we are held prisoner here. An exchange of such things would likely help us bond and not be so insulated, which in turn will help us when the time comes to defend ourselves.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sharing stories... that sounds like fun! I love all the fairy tales we have back home.

I suppose it could also be entertaining, yes.

Do your fairy tales explain anything about how you came to be? [SHE STILL DOESN'T BELIEVE THAT Talking Animal World sprang up out of nowhere, slkjdsld, there has to be a reason for it]

No, but there's plenty we can learn from them... About friendship, love, and believing in yourself.

Does your world follow these principles?

A-huh! We do our best to treat each other with respect and kindness, and we always help each other.

If only all worlds were capable of following such simple rules. I believe all people wish such a thing, respect and kindness, but it is easier said than done.

I wonder what story would reflect this most...

Oh, I know! Have you ever heard the story of Aladdin and his magic lamp?

I'm afraid not.

Oh, my husband loves this one, heehee!

Once upon time, in the desert kingdom of Agrabah, there was a street urchin named Aladdin. He had no family, and stole for a living. However, he had a kind heart, and a loyal monkey companion named Abu. He longed for a good life where he could be treated with respect, and would always longingly look at the palace, wishing he could live like royalty. Inside the palace, the Sultan wanted his daughter, the princess Jasmine, to marry before her next birthday, but she refused every suitor. She wanted to marry for true love, and so one night, she ran away from the palace.

[What kind of dumb person would start a kingdom in a desert!!! But she listens anyway.]

Go on.

[She's doing the pausing to allow dumb questions as these. It's a disney tale, stuff like that will pop up a lot.]

The poor dear really had no idea what life was like outside of the palace! She took food from a merchant to give to some hungry children, but she had no money to pay for it. The merchant was ready to cut off her hand for stealing, but Aladdin stepped in, and claimed that Jasmine was his sister, and that she was too insane to know right from wrong. Jasmine played along, and the merchant let her go. Aladdin fell for her beauty, and showed the princess all around the kingdom, not knowing who she really was. They spent the day together, falling in love...

... And they never suspected that the Sultan's adviser, the evil Jafar, was spying on them!

Spying on them? So then he was not fooled by her disguise?

Jafar was as wise as he was evil. He wasn't easily fooled, and knew about the princess's real identity.

Jafar wanted the rule Agrabah, and he had spells, magic weapons, and even a talking parrot to try and usurp the Sultan, but he always failed. His latest scheme was trying to enter a legendary Cave of Wonders to get hold of a magic lamp, but the cave would only let 'a diamond in the rough' enter. Jafar used a spell to find this 'diamond in the rough', and discovered it was Aladdin! He sent the palace guards to capture Aladdin, and claimed Aladdin had kidnapped the princess. Despite Jasmine's objections, Aladdin and Abu were tossed in the dungeon, and sentenced to die. Aladdin though he was done for...

... until a strange old man in the dungeon began to talk about a Cave of Wonders.

[Okay, yes, magic artefacts and caves are more familiar to her than desert kingdoms and people getting hands chopped off!]

If he is in prison, what good will a wondrous cave do?

[She knows her audience, somewhat.]

Aladdin thought the same, but decided to humor the old man. But the more they talked, the more Aladdin became interested in the cave, just as the old man planned...

For the old man was Jafar in disguise! He told Aladdin that if he helped them escaped, Aladdin would go to the cave and fetch him the lamp. Aladdin was a man of his word, and promised he would. Since Jafar knew the palace inside and out, he knew of a trick exit,and helped take Aladdin and Abu out of the dungeon, leading them to the cave. He told Aladdin to touch nothing but the lamp, and Aladdin again promised. Aladdin and Abu went inside, and the cave was filled with treasures piled high! Gold, jewels, a single piece of it would have made him ten times richer than the sultan! They even found a flying carpet that followed them around, glad to have new friends. But Aladdin remembered his promises, and touched nothing, managing to find the lamp.

Abu, on the other hand, was a bit greedier than his friend... and he couldn't resist this one ruby...

He should have trained him better, in that case.

[Man of his word he may be, but this Aladdin sounds like an irresponsible beast owner!]

The moment Abu touched the ruby, the cave came to life, and roared over the broken promise! The entrance to the cave was sealed shut, and now there was no way out! Jafar assumed this meant Aladdin was dead, and returned to the kingdom, deciding his next scheme to rule Agrabah would be to marry the princess. But Aladdin was alive and well, and when he mistakenly rubbed the lamp, a mystical genie came out! Genies are magical creatures who grant three wishes to whoever rubs their lamp. But there were rules to the wishes... You can't kill people, you can't bring people back from the dead, and you can't make people fall in love.

Reasonable limitations.

Did he wish to escape the cave?

Ah, but Aladdin was clever! Instead of using his first wish, he tricked the Genie by saying he wouldn't believe him until he was given a display of power. So the Genie used his magic to get them all out of the cave. He then realized the trick, and made Aladdin swear to never do it again. The Genie also explained how sad and lonely his life was, always a slave. Aladdin felt pity for his new friend, and made another promise - that for his third future wish, he would wish for the Genie's freedom.

I would have made the same promise. [Slavery is terrible! Unless it's an orc.]

Perhaps you're a diamond in the roguh too, heehee!

Aladdin was still in love with Princess Jasmine, but knew she could only marry a prince. So for his first wish, he wished to become a prince. The Genie turned him into the magnificent Prince Ali, and they had a grand parade, strolling into the kingdom and asking for Jasmine's hand. Jafar recognized Aladdin and the lamp, and began to scheme how to get his hands on it. Jasmine refused Aladdin's proposal, thinking he loved her only for her beauty and power. Aladdin tried to woo her by giving her a ride on his magic carpet, knowing how she loved to be free and explore, and it worked... at first

[She laughs a little, but continues to listen.]

And then?

Jasmine was pretty clever herself. She had recognized Aladdin, but he refused to admit who he really was. She tricked him by talking about Abu, who Aladdin would have known but Prince Ali wouldn't have. Aladdin tried to lie his way out of it, saying he was pretending to be a street urchin to get a good look at the kingdom. Jasmine believed it, and decided she would marry him. But when they separated for the night, Jafar had the guards capture Aladdin, tie him up, gag him, and threw him into water to drown him!

[Well, he should have slit his throat instead! But she won't say that, only continues to listen.]

Aladdin became unconscious, but the water made his hands touch the lamp, and the Genie was summoned. He realized the danger his friend was in, and was forced to use the second wish to save Aladdin's life. When Aladdin recovered, he raced to the palace, and managed to stop Jafar just before he could use his spells to make Jasmine marry him. Aladdin exposed Jafar's wicked ways, and the Sultan ordered him sent to the dungeon, but Jafar escaped, with a new plan in mind. The Sultan then allowed Aladdin and Jasmine to marry, and began to arrange the wedding. But when the Genie asked Aladdin for the third wish, the wish Aladdin had promised to use to set the Genie free...

Aladdin said no. He was worried that he would need the last wish, in case the truth about his street urchin life was exposed. He broke his promise.

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