Rite

<Zuki> Anyhow. Welcome! It's good to see you all here.
<orngjce223> so
<Zuki> My name, as you might guess, is Zuki, and I want to thank OJ for being my partner-in-crime here for setting this all up.
<orngjce223> Heh.
<orngjce223> Let's get this started, shall we?
<Zuki> Mm-hm.
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<Zuki> This is a ritual, facetious or otherwise, to unbind and unhex Jenna Moran from the most unfortunate problems in publishing her games and writing.
<Zuki> This is also a ritual, we hope, to promote the sharing and transformation of her work.
<Zuki> Take some deep breaths. Slow, and even. Relax, however it's done best for you.
<Zuki> The setting: Night. A clearing, in the woods; or the middle of an endless wildflower field, fireflies dancing; or a river entering a cave; or the rooftop of a high skyscraper, if you wish
<Zuki> Visualize the one you like best. Visualize us gathering there, and standing in a circle.
<Zuki> We gather upon the back of the Earth this day, under the waning moon.
<Zuki> We stand below heaven, the Heaven that gives us the beauty that redeems Creation. We stand below the beauty of Ananda, the Imperator to Come. His is the Joy and the Divine.
<Zuki> We stand above hell, the Hell that gives us the love that binds together Creation. We kneel within the protection of Entropy, the Darkest Lord. His is the Law and the Sword.
<Zuki> We stand astride the tree, the Ash that holds us together and gives us meaning. We crawl beneath the feet of Ha-Qadosch Berakha, the Lord of the Wind. His is the Staff and the Storm.
<Zuki> We stand within the wall, the Weirding Wall that protects us from the void. We lie within the arms of Surolam, the Goddess of the Ordinary. Hers is the Precedent and the Peace.
<Zuki> Beyond the end of the world, stars fall from the sky. We hold faith that the Rider host will not interrupt our works tonight.
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<Zuki> We are only human; and so we follow Eve, the First Woman, who gives us grace.  We are only human; and so we follow Adam, the First Man, who gives us freedom.
<Zuki> Because we are human, the spark of the divine burns within us all. Offer a small fraction of your spirit, to light our ritual fire tonight.
<Zuki> [And if you've got a candle, light it now.]
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<Zuki> Cast the water upon the ground, to guard our circle, and feel it soak into the ground beneath our feet.
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<Zuki> Light the incense, to speak our intentions to the wind, and let them rise with the dusky scent of its smoke
<Zuki> Stand upon the ground, and know that it is alive. Touch the sky, and know that it sings. Within this circle tonight, we welcome the spirits of the world. We speak to them tonight, and they to us.
<Zuki> [If you're worried about running out of candle, you can put it out  now so you'll have more candle for later.]
<Zuki> We are storytellers, every one of us; perhaps we tell stories across tables, or with others, but we are all storytellers. And this is a ritual to support one of our fellow storytellers, so:  Tell us about your favorite roleplaying moments. Tell us about characters you love. Tell us the stories you want to play one day. Tell us how stories have changed your li
<Zuki> [Hah, mibbit's character limit, my old foe. Tell us how stories, or a story, have changed your life.]
<GrayGriffin> The moment where my character chose to leap between a defeated enemy and the tank her ally rode, because she believed their foe could be saved.
<orngjce223> [Hold on a tic. There's an established way to do this. <3]
<Zuki> [If you'd like to go on, you may. We'd like nobody to take more than ~5 minutes if possible. When you're finished, say, 'It is so.']
<Zuki> [So we can cue people, the way to signal that is, 'I wish to speak.']
<GrayGriffin> The moment when, after her ally sacrificed himself for her, she made the choice to start learning to fight, instead of just support her companions.
<GrayGriffin> And the moment where she offered sanctuary to the god that now used her ally's body, because no one should be left out in the cold.
<GrayGriffin> It is so.
<Zuki> GrayGriffin, thank you for those stories.
<Laenan> I wish to speak.
<orngjce223> Laenan, you may rise, take your place in the center of the circle, and speak to us.
<Zuki> Go ahead and take your place in the circle, Laenan.
<Laenan> Storytelling connected be to the world in a way that prior was lacking. Now I work to bring that same experience to others, and there are
<Laenan> Few greater joys.
<Laenan> It is so.
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<kagechikara> I wish to speak
<Zuki> Laenan, thank you. Kagechikara, rise and take your place.
<kagechikara> I remember...Being eight, with a book of strange terms that let me create characters of my imagination.
<kagechikara> Being eleven, meeting a friend who wove stories with me, together, every day thereafter
<kagechikara> and being 26, opening Chuubos and feeling new stories arise from within me as I read each page.
<kagechikara> It is so.
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<Zuki> Thank you, Kage.
<Rand_Brittain> I wish to speak!
<Zuki> Rise and take your place, Rand.
<Rand_Brittain> Once, I married a prominent game designer to a werewolf that came out of a soda can.
<Rand_Brittain> Good times.
<Rand_Brittain> I'm afraid the werewolf wound up at the bottom of the ocean.
<Rand_Brittain> It is so.
<Zuki> I wish to speak.
<Zuki> Semester after semester, I remember gaming in the student union building until the building closed and they kicked us out. I remember standing in all-night diners and continuing the stories we didn't want to stop.
<Zuki> I remember watching dumbfounded at the feats my new friends accomplished with their characters, and I remember hanging on to one's copy of the Great White Book for so long they thought they'd lost it.
<Zuki> I've met my most dear friends, and nearly all of my significant others, through roleplaying and storytelling.
<Zuki> It is so.
<orngjce223> .
<orngjce223> Are there any others who wish to speak?
<orngjce223> (Thank you for your story, Zuki.)
<Zuki> We have shared some of our stories; and now we turn to the work that we are here to do.
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<Zuki> It is said that there is a curse hat has followed Dr. Jenna Katerin Moran for many years; one that, though it lets her write, has thwarted or dogged efforts to turn words into physical books.
<Zuki> Houses have publishers that lie or collapse rather than let her works see the light of day.  Perhaps they fear the earthshaking implications of publishing one of her games. Perhaps spies keep stealing the manuscripts. Perhaps it is just greed. She deserves better.
<orngjce223> [Tie a knot in your string. Relight your candle if you put it out earlier.]
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<Zuki> [Pinch that knot between your fingers, and think on what has balked you in similar circumstances. Pour that feeling in.]
<Zuki> We are here, though, to release Jenna Moran from this curse once and for all!  Sunder the knot, and let the curse be broken.
<Zuki> [Cut the knot in the string!]
<Zuki> [ Don't throw anything away yet. If your candle isn't safe to put down on the table while you do this, you can go ahead and put it out now.]
<Zuki> [Recall the palpable sense of relieve, of ease, at an untangled problem.]
<Zuki> And, because there is no sense taking away without replenishing, we wish to bless her with success: with fans, and fanworks, and those who will go on to be inspired by her creations.
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<Zuki> [Wrap the severed pieces of string around the candle clockwise. Hold them there for a moment, close your eyes if you would like, and imagine the sun rising.]
<Zuki> The darkness is always, always followed by dawn.
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<Zuki> It is complete. The spirits shall carry the knowledge and power of this ritual to the ends of the earth. Breathe deeply, and let the Will within you go out to suffuse the world.
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<Zuki> Light and Dark hold evermore.
<Zuki> Ash and Wall stand evermore.
<Zuki> Heaven and Hell continue evermore.
<Zuki> May they win their battles, and may the future be filled with happiness.
<Zuki> [Snuff your candle. Take a deep breath. Stretch. Remember what your chair feels like, if you've forgotten. Wiggle your toes!]
<Zuki> We return to Prosaic Reality, and open the circle.
<Zuki> The rite is finished, so mote it be.
<orngjce223> And so mote it be.