compnetwork | [TEXT] ☾ second phrase: what is christmas

good evening Hinoto-Ri. the oddity of the recent weather aside, i do hope you've been well!

i have a question to ask you; well several questions to be honest. a holiday celebrated by humans is coming up soon, correct? it's called christmas and you're supposed to buy gifts for your friends and loved ones and... put them under a tree. i'm not entirely sure why.

[At least, that's what he thinks it is about. The general gist of it; anyway hey, a chance to show he cares about ~~Minato and Minako~~ people and give them presents for the fun of it. But he needs to make absolutely sure he selects the right gifts! Which he has no experience shopping for. :D]

so, what would someone who enjoys music, spending time with their friends, and eating large amounts of food want for christmas? or someone who is loud, enjoys karaoke and talking about himself like as a present? i would appreciate input from others.

[PRIVATE TO RYOJI]

ryoji what do you think they would like?

[C'mon older self, you've grown up and spent some time as a teenager with them, surely you know about to shop for protags on the holidays. Maybe he should get Ekikichi a bottle of hair gel.

Pharos is also facing the dilemma of not... having any money at all to buy presents with, being a kid who does not have a job! Even if he figures out which things he should get for them. Woe. And if he asks the Arisatos for money, that kinda defeats the purpose of buying them presents to begin with... And no, this post isn't locked from either of them btw. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Pharos. You can private to Ryoji, but don't think filtering this post away from your beloved protagonists is a good idea? Honestly.]

You sound like you already got an idea what they like.

[Don't think he doesn't know exactly who you're talking about. The first description anyway. The second, he can guess.]

[...

:> He doesn't mind if they know he's asking the masses about what he should be getting them for presents! He doesn't ~~know~~ particularly care if you're supposed to be secretive about what gifts you're buying for Christmas.]

i would be awfully self-absorbed if i didn't have some inkling of an idea to start with!

[Shinjiro, he's aware you're intelligent. And sure, he's got an idea. A decade of doing nothing but observing a human's life and drifting in and out of conscious self-awareness, gives you time to learn their basic likes and dislikes. And he's buying a present for the other dude because the second person is amusing.]

Edited 2012-12-20 06:59 (UTC)

So work with it.

If you weren't asking, what would you guess?

Edited 2012-12-21 03:56 (UTC)

scarves! or something cute that has to do with small animals.

they would appreciate something to do with music too. someone else on this post suggested adding a card to the gift.

[Huh. Both of those ideas actually sound decent.

~~You can't really go wrong with small animals.~~]

You're supposed to add a card and shit. And wrap the damn things.

But I guess those work. Just don't give her anything with a damn rabbit on.

[Good job on that one, Aki.]

[Gosh, are you implying you thought he'd suck at picking out xmas gifts.

~~It's literally impossible, unless you are allergic and didn't know until you see the small animal.~~]

you are? [well then! Good thing someone told him. Pharos didn't want to deliver their presents incorrectly.] why would you wrap them up? wouldn't you have to unwrap them again when you give them the presents?

... very well.

[Dutifully makes note of his advice that rabbits are a bad idea when it comes to gifts for Minako.]

[~~Trust me, it is still worth it.]~~

That's the point. Keeps it a surprise.

[After a moments' pause Pharos sends a reply;]

should i get a gift for you as well shinjiro-san?

[If Minako cares for him and allowed him to warm her bed, then Pharos figured he was worth buying a christmas present for.]

[. . .]

Just get her and Minato something.

[is that a "no"]

sure.

you're not answering my question.

You don't need to get me anything.

[Does the kid even have that much money to begin with? He knows what the checks they get from the government cover. But you need to eat and shit too. Be a waste of money, really.]

... alright.

[No...... he doesn't..... have any money to begin with? Haha, small details like that wouldn't deter him. Gonna figure something out somehow.]

but you'll get something for her, right?

Yeah.

[And for her brother. And for Aki. And for Miki. Mitsuru.

Should probably get something for Minako's little stalker kid, too. Even if he doubts he gives a damn about Christmas—and maybe even material possessions. He's a Shadow, isn't he?

But he doesn't know.

Christmas has never meant much until now. Well, it still doesn't. All that's changed that there are people who do mean something and actually give a damn about Christmas and the little things that come with it. So now he's not sure quite what to do about a holiday he and Aki had never bothered to really celebrate much after Miki passed away. All it brought up was memories of toy stores and the kind of life they should have had but didn't. And now that he does have a reason, doing all this feels like stretching an atrophied muscle.]

You got money, kid?

good.

[ No, he doesn't give a damn about Christmas! Or material possessions, unless there is some emotional context unlying the possession; he is making a exception because the metaphorical centers of his existence are involved, and the holidays are a good way to subtly ~~exercise his childish clinginess a bit under a excuse~~ give his friends gifts and not make it seem totally out of the blue to either Minako and Minato.

He does have some desire to gain an understanding of humanity, however abstract. It was one of the reasons his progenitor placed his second phrase upon earth in a humanlike guise; to learn of them and their wants. Participating in their festivities was a minor step towards learning, correct?

The next question is little puzzling though. Bemusedly; ]

no.

Don't you think you'll need it?

[Or are you just clueless?]

what was the term

[ Minato's friend in the baseball hat had used it during their trials in climbing up the tower of demise.... ah! Pharos is proud of himself for getting the slang right. ]

oh yes; 'I am winging it.'

[ Junpei would be proud of him. Somehow.

On the other side of the spectrum, Shinjiro's pretty damn sure that's what Icarus said before he died. ]

You do that.

[ See how far it gets you. The kid's not his problem, anyway. ]

[TEXT] ☾ second phrase: what is christmas

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]

[Private - Text]