seventh. text.

[torrefied]

Consider the following exercise in critical thinking, if you can tear yourselves away from gossiping about each others' love lives long enough to put some actual thought into formulating an answer:

If you had never before encountered a being like yourself before - a human, for example, or however you classify yourself - what would you most want to know about these beings? What are the most important concepts that are fundamental to your existence?

Comments

Text

[torrefied]

No. I wanted to provide some depth to balance out the shallowness from yesterday.

Do you have an answer?

Re: Text

[fracturedbeauty]

Well, isn't that kind of you?

But of course, I do have an answer: Beauty. What fascinates and impassions them. And how strongly they will fight for what they believe in.

Text

[torrefied]

And how strongly do you fight for what you believe in?

[fracturedbeauty]

I've probably had a few heads roll. [Few being a vast understatement.] But then, I'm no stranger to war. And all's fair isn't it?

[torrefied]

War isn't about what's fair - it's about what's necessary.

[fracturedbeauty]

Well, I certainly must admit that I like you better already. That's quite a good head on your shoulders. Would that happen to mean you are experienced in war yourself?

[torrefied]

In a manner of speaking, yes.

[Fighting Kira may not have been a war in the traditional sense, but that's still how Mello perceived it, and himself as a soldier of sorts, willing to do whatever was necessary to reach his ultimate end goal.]

Officially, wars between countries have all but ceased, in the world where I'm from. But there is a popular saying among soldiers in at least one of those countries - “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

[fracturedbeauty]

That's a very insightful perspective, even philosophical. The implications of the smaller battles of the everyday self to the massive extremes on the global scale. And you, you share the same view as that? Did you have a mentor to bring you into those sorts of teachings?

[torrefied]

I don't believe people are capable of peaceful coexistence on a permanent basis - take this place, for example, and its murder rate. I haven't made a thorough analysis, but even if you discount the influence of the gods, I would be surprised if it wasn't on par with or higher than the world I come from.

There was no one specific person who mentored me. I simply observed the world and drew my conclusions from those observations.

[fracturedbeauty]

[Okay, so maybe Mello is the sort of person Yukari could actually get along with. He might be slightly less inclined to troll him in the future, and gear more towards intelligent conversation. Observationalists are actually pleasant to keep around.]

I haven't had the pleasure of observing too many in this world, and most were under the strange influence of the Gods. Although, for those I have met, I have met some who also come from war and are inclined toward battle. It would make sense that those of a sentient nature are always going to find something to fight for, be it real or imaginary.

How interesting of you to create your own experience. Most are like dogs who follow another more wise than themselves. So, when you joined your sense of war, what were you fighting for?

[torrefied]

[Mello might say justice, because that's typically seen as a much nobler goal - and in a way, that is what he wanted, in fighting against Kira. But it's not the primary reason, not the most important reason. So he chooses to answer honestly.]

Revenge. In the end, there is no greater motivation than revenge.

[fracturedbeauty]

Ah, revenge. One of the more beautiful types of motivation assuredly. [For a moment, Yukari imagines being the one that vengeance is sought upon, being able to see the full passion of something so wonderful.] Had you succeeded? Did you show them your full passion as you sought to finish them? Or is it a battle still in progress, upon which you were brought here before you could complete it?

[torrefied]

It's still a work in progress. But I've been told I did complete it.

[Maybe not the way he wanted to initially - not on his own - but in the end, Near was able to defeat Kira, thanks to Mello's efforts. It sort of counts.]

I don't believe in doing things by halves.

[fracturedbeauty]

But of course. Halves are a terrible way to live. What does one hope to achieve by only giving half the effort? My personal experience is you get less than half of the job done. Going for it all is the only thing that brings true results. And, especially enduring war, nothing can be achieved by only going halfway. I actually had to tell someone I once mentored that.

[torrefied]

I certainly hope you hadn't been that person's mentor for long. That seems like the sort of lesson that should be a foundation, not advanced practicum.

[fracturedbeauty]

He was still a child when I had left, yes. He was thoroughly skilled, and tried to use it. But he chose to withdraw from emotion rather than use it. In the end, though, he managed to exceed my expectations. For that much, I can at least be proud.

[torrefied]

I find that emotion can often be useful, in a lot of applications. Withdrawal from emotion seems like a waste of resources.

[Not always. Still, Mello will take his feeling-too-much over Near's feeling-too-little approach.]

[fracturedbeauty]

In truth, it is very much so the denial of resources. While calm thinking can be useful in the retreat of a situation, emotion is required in the midst of the battle. To ignore emotion is to miss what lies right in front of yourself. And emotion is what turns thought into proper action. Thought lacks adrenaline, determination, and instinct. Only emotion can provide such things, and tip it from the line from too little effort, to success.