CICONIA: WHEN THEY CRY

[insinning]

It's a holy night. Silent night.

All is calm.

Everything is b r i g h t.

Comments

[insinning]

[ Cat videos...ahem]

A movie sounds good. I still have snacks if you're well enough to eat.

[dissimulative]

[ look... he knows, okay. ]

What kind? I'm good with anything.

[ Yes, he's well enough to eat snacks. Also, Oria says "anything" because of Sinclair's usual choices. ]

[insinning]

[ Hmmm his brain is too fried for anything that requires thinking so]

There's that new movie right? About magical knights or something.

[ He'll dig out some popcorn packets and peeps from his cupboard]

[dissimulative]

The CGs looked pretty good in the trailer!

[ Because otherwise how could magical knights top gauntlet knights with their current technology? Oria looks at Sinclair while getting out his phone to try and connect it to the projector. ]

Oh, I want the yellow ones. Pass 'em. I heard the plot is pretty okay...

[insinning]

Right? It's almost as realistic as the shorts. [Minus the sensory inputs but, still the visuals were incredible from what he saw. He hands over the yellow peeps]/small>

It's more of a fun thing to watch than a serious one, right?

[dissimulative]

[ Oria takes the yellow peeps, popping one into his mouth before turning the movie on. ]

As long as the plot is cohesive in some way, I'm fine with it. Time for the moment of truth!

[insinning]

And if it isn't?

[The movie is set in the far off past of the B3W world. Sinclair isn't sure how accurate any of the setting is, but it sure is pretty. Lots of landscape shots, and then people fighting.

Oh, there's a narrator too.]

[dissimulative]

Then it gets a bad review on Expired Popcorn.

[ Rotten Tomatoes. ]

B3W living without 8MS looks so surreal. I can't imagine not having it now, for anything.

[insinning]

Right? I can't imagine being able to breathe the air without it.

[And having such clean water...it's so fascinating]

[dissimulative]

[ Oria knows that there are still some parts of the world equivalent to third world countries that can't afford 8MS, so the environments are hazardous to grow up in.

He tries not to think about that. ]

We're pretty lucky in a way, huh. I heard soap operas with a focus on disease is popular too, since factory-borns eliminated a lot of genetic defects with each batch. It's really like what could have been...

[insinning]

[Is this historical or a fantasy epic? Who knows as they follow a young knight as he traverses a mountain to secure a treasure]

Mmm...we really are. It seems difficult to live like that when there aren't many resources to begin with.

[imagine the world without spiritium]

[dissimulative]

Yeah. Our world is more or less fucked without stuff keeping it together, but 8MS is highly regulated across the nations. They even have to share their findings with everyone. If only it could be like that for more things...

[ Stop having Unresolved National Tension, everyone. Please. ]

[insinning]

Yeah. I don't understand why they need to argue about territory and agriculture when one country doing well can mean everyone does well.

[ And pretending to fight other knights for real is a drain. He doesn't actually want to hurt their friends and yet...

It's fun story of dragons and magicians, fighting for the One Necklace]

[dissimulative]

It's a matter of national pride, which will probably and eventually be the death of us all. The tribalism can get really out of hand.

[ Oria looks at the movie... huh. ]

I hope that's some fancy necklace they're going for.

[insinning]

It makes no sense. Haven't we proven we can get along just fine?

[The One Necklace with the One Power. And then the scene cuts to a quiet village where a villager is busy checking on farm animals...Apparently he's the real hero? Because along comes a magician and the knight from before with a special request]

Oh, I think their pigs glitched here.

[dissimulative]

Oh my god, don't just point it out.

[ Oria says as if the film director was right there with them to overhear the mistakes in the movie. But he can't hold back his laughter. ]

It's clipping into the wall!

[insinning]

Hey, like you don't do the same--

[ Ohhh nooo pig.

And that

is that a cow or a horse. It looks nothing like the story books]

Shouldn't they have fixed this before release?

[dissimulative]

I can't believe that was okayed by the quality checkers. That looks like a spotted, stumpy horse??

[ Oria is slowly losing it. Why is the movie like this?! But it's so funny that he's having a great time. ]

[insinning]

I thought the special effects were supposed to be good? Maybe it's just the animals...?

[ He keeps getting distracted by the horse. Help]

[dissimulative]

Well... that magic explosion looked realistic.

[ This is like Uzumaki Episode 1 vs 2 all over again. ]

The knight's sword has some red weird matte shine on it too.

[ To Sinclair, the sword just... looks like a normal shiny sword. There's no red on it. ]

[insinning]

[ The horses are otome isekak horses...the WEBTOON special]

...? Huh? What are you talking about?

[ Sinclair leans forward
to try and get a better look ]

It looks...normal?

[dissimulative]

[ crying at the webtoon special

When Sinclair takes a closer look, the sword is just a regular clean sword. There's nothing weird about it. Oria shakes his head, resting it on his palm with the elbow on the beanbag chair. He takes his glasses off and cleans the lenses. ]

Never mind! I was just seeing things.

[insinning]

[ Sinclair's brow furrows in worry and he leans against Oria a little more to offer another peep]

I guess the angle isn't always good.

[ at least the camera man is focusing on the people now...]

[dissimulative]

[ Yeah. Oria seems to watch it with focus after leaning to take the peep with his mouth and eat it. Munch. ]

They should fix the lighting... All that budget, and for what?

[insinning]

[Oh... that's cute. Help.]

The budget is probably on the clothes.

[because it's certainly not on the animals...]