video/action

[gochuugoku]

[China's sitting comfortably near his low table with a puzzled look on his face.]

Last night I had a very strange dream. I was dressed in a female Beijing Opera costume and I was singing and dancing. Maybe I drank too much at the Lantern Festival, or something, aru.

[He pauses to drink some of his green tea, which was sitting in a teacup on the low table.]

By the way, what's this I keep hearing about memories? Are you saying the dream I had was actually a memory? [Guess who hasn't had any experiences yet.]

[OOC: Hey man, this is China. Anyone is free to view memories ranging from his (lonely) childhood, to his dynasties, the wars, present day, and the Christmas he spent with Stocking here in Discedo (since that's the first and only real memory he's recalled of Discedo so far).]

Comments

[gochuugoku]

Oh... [He rolls his eyes.]

That would definitely describe the scientists and that news crew.

[fierybluebird]

Exactly, eh. Though the principle is everyone has it a little. Some are more sadistic than others though.

[gochuugoku]

Sadistic... [His mind wanders.]

[fierybluebird]

Right. Normal schadenfreude is just watching someone else fall and laughing at it and then maybe giving them a hand to help them up. Sadism is more like tripping them and then kicking them in the ribs.

[gochuugoku]

Yes... [It's obvious his mind is elsewhere.]

[fierybluebird]

You okay? [Normally he'd let it slide, but it's been going on for a bit now, so it needs asking.]

[gochuugoku]

[He blinks and shakes his head.] I am sorry, I was thinking about the Cold War.

[fierybluebird]

Oh. Sorry, eh. Is that still ongoing?

[gochuugoku]

No. [He says it very abruptly.]

It ended in 1991, so it's been... twenty one years since the end of the Cold War, aru.

[fierybluebird]

Wow... that's... still a decent amount of time though. What ended it? And... if you don't mind my asking, what about it are you thinking on?

[gochuugoku]

Russia was growing weaker, or at least, his union was. The countries under his control were revolting relentlessly and America was still putting pressure on him to end it. Also, Russia's economy was crumbling. The final key to the end of the Cold War was the collapse of the Soviet Union.

...Just about myself.

[fierybluebird]

And you were kind of glad to see him go in a sadistic way? Or did the sadism remind you of him? [Trying to place the connection here.]

[gochuugoku]

No, it's not that. [He shakes his head.]

Things between Ivan and myself have always been complicated, aru. I can never tell if we are friends or enemies, or something in between. [And he had to admit... He was saddened at seeing Russia breakdown the way he did. Then again, if he hadn't, their friendship--or whatever people called it--would not have been repaired.]

I was thinking about all the things I did during the Cold War.

[fierybluebird]

Aha... that makes more sense I suppose.

[gochuugoku]

I still don't remember everything about my previous stays, but I can imagine how it must have been, aru.

[fierybluebird]

It was rough, but I'm sure it's rough for most people here.

[gochuugoku]

I think so too, after seeing all the things these scientists do.

[fierybluebird]

Aye. And even just the world itself sometimes. Still not as bad as the New World usually.

[gochuugoku]

I would still like to see your New World, though.

[fierybluebird]

It's pretty exotic I suppose. Chaotic might be a more apt word.

[gochuugoku]

Sounds like my world, so I believe I would be able to hold out in your New World for a while.

[fierybluebird]

Your world doesn't have lightning rain, logia users or people the size of mountains, eh? No offense.

[gochuugoku]

No, but it does have us. Our world is a jungle of concrete and exotic lands.

[fierybluebird]

[A shrug.] I guess you'd have to see it first, just understand don't underestimate it.

The World Government alone would be ... If that is someone in a person form as you all are, that would be one person whom I would be very very scared of. And I think with all of Dragon's Rebellion cropping up... if I were a country... [Shakes his head.] The pirate emperors scare even me China. Japan tells me all the time how strong America is, and he's a lot like Garp, but even he is a lot easier to handle than one single pirate emperor.

[gochuugoku]

[China snorts.] America will near the end of his peak at some point, many believe that time is in the near future, even his own people. It happens to everyone, myself included, Japan too. England. France. Russia. Spain. Rome. We all have our golden ages and then our power suddenly dwindles as another nation rises above us.

I am not frightened of invaders anymore, though, the threat of an invasion does put me at unease. Which is exactly why my government has trained me and my soldiers so hard. We are prepared. We have the numbers and the weapons. Not trying to imply that I have any interest in taking over any land in your world, but I'm confident that my armed forces would be able to hold out against the World Government.