Considering Ruby City

[ijustlivehere]

 Wait, you mean it?! You really mean it, you're gonna put me in a game again?!

...Oh, you're gonna put me in a game with no friends and no video games.

Never mind, leave me alone.

Comments

[shepherdofsins]

Perhaps it is time to make new friends. It is good to cherish the ones you have, but fostering new connections is the only way we humans can grow. It's an Equivalent Exchange; a give-and-take.

[ijustlivehere]

But... no video games! There's not even any electricity!

[shepherdofsins]

I'll bet you'd get on better than you expect, young one. Electricity is just charged particles, after all; surely those exist where you're going?

[ijustlivehere]

[Neil pouts. Why are even strangers calling him "young" all the time?]

I... dunno. All I know is my mun said "no video games."

[shepherdofsins]

And what do you suppose it is about these games, that you would despair of being unable to play them in the world to come? Are they truly so important?

[ijustlivehere]

Yeah!

[Okay, that came out a little overly loud and enthusiastic. Whoops.]

I-I mean, I just can't... picture life without 'em...

[shepherdofsins]

Curious. It's all well and good to have hobbies, naturally, and of course your mundane can't take you anywhere without your consent. But should you agree to go, life will most certainly go on, and you may even find yourself enjoying things you might not have thought to do otherwise.

[ijustlivehere]

Uh... like what?

[shepherdofsins]

It depends on the person. The sciences, perhaps? I could help you there, should you feel a calling.

[ijustlivehere]

I dunno, that sounds kinda like school. Is that like school?

[shepherdofsins]

In a sense. I teach alchemy, the art of breaking things down into their basic components, then reatructuring them as something else. With this, you could potentially be able to duplicate those video games you're so fond of.

[ijustlivehere]

No way! That's-- that's friggin' awesome!

[shepherdofsins]

I apologize for the dramatic pause; my mundane has had a rather difficult week. But yes, the power of alchemy is indeed awesome, and the most important thing you must keep in mind is to respect it, and not to abuse the power. For in order to gain anything, something of equal value must be sacrificed.

In order to create a game you like, you require only the basic materials of its construction. But you could not, for example, use alchemy to create an entirely new game, because in addition to the materials, the creative process involved in making the game itself has its own value.

[ijustlivehere]

But as long as is exists, I can make anything?

[shepherdofsins]

That's correct, child. All it will require is some training.

[ijustlivehere]

[Neil cracks a grin.]

All right, I'm in.