Story Time (for anyone who wants to tell myths)

Kiku watched as the girls came in. He noticed that Trang was wearing one of her more traditional outfits. He suddenly felt bland. Perhaps he should have dressed for the occasion as well?

Regardless, it was too late now. And plenty of the other guests were dressed normally.

"Hello, Trang-san and Lily-san," he greeted the new arrivals and bowed his head to each.

Nodding slightly to the warm-hearted woman, Lily happily stepped into the massive mansion. There were already several nations in the house, some of whom were even dressed in some really traditional outfits. This is going to be fun

She bowed down again as others began greeting her

"Hello, I am Lily ~ It is such a great joy to be here. I'm looking forward to hear all of your wonderful tales"

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Sorry again for the lateness and for this cracky post ><

Trang lifted her head to look at the ancient nation. She blinked a few times then took a quick glance inside the mansion. Everyone seemed to be waiting; even a boy in strange outfit was waving to them. She couldn't make out his face at such distance though...

"I-I thought I was too late so I was so worried... T-Thank you for waiting!" Trang bowed again and when she looked up, Lily had entered the house already. The Vietnamese hurried after her friend. However, when she had just passed the threshold, Trang halted suddenly and took a few steps back.

"I-I'm so sorry I totally forgot!" Trang extended a paper bag with some boxes of lychees and rambutans inside. "I-I should have given you this b-but...." She trailed off, blushing slightly. Lily had reached the living room already but she was still standing outside...

Trang kept her head bowing down, hands gripping on the bag "These are some fruits I bring over from my house. Um... I-I hope this is alright..."

Helena smiled warmly at the young Asian nation and gently took the bag of fruits from Trang.

"Thank you very much, Trang. I'm sure these fruits will be quite delicious with the other snack items out," she said graciously.

Nekolis looked at his flowers on the table. They looked so plain compared to the exotic fruits the Asian nations had brought. He felt truly like a child now, jealous and petty. He took a breath, calm now. 'You are a nation. Act like one. Your brother will never come home if you act like a child.'

He approached Lily and offered a friendly smile. "You are Mister Switerland's sister? I'm Cyprus......Greece's little brother?" he asked, doing his best to feign confidence.

After he had greeted them, Kiku watched the girls enter in silence.

He was also incredibly embarrassed. He'd actually fussed over what to bring for so long that in the end, he had forgotten everything. It wasn't like him at all. He sighed quietly. He would have to make up for it somehow.

---

The above? True story. What actually happened to me when making my original posts...and I've been feeling stupider and stupider about it. orz

Also...lychee...*salivates*

It wasn't quite my "turn" so to speak, but this thread has been in stasis for long enough, so a post was good for it, I think.

As everyone settled down Adam decided to ask the question that he hoped had been on all the other nations lips. "So Helena... would you do the honour of telling us the first myth, please" He smiled, trying to be polite... for once.


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Sorry D: i had to... its myth time please?

Trang felt relieved when she heard Helena's words. The ancient nation was such a pleasant and graceful lady. Smiling softly, she stepped inside the mansion, following Lily into the living room.

"H-Hello everyone, I'm sorry I'm late" Trang bowed as others greeted her.

Everyone has gathered there, Yeosin and Silbeo, Kiku, Nekolis, Lily and... Oh, Adam! Trang almost couldn't recognize the Australian. He looked different in what she guessed was his traditional outfit. She started to feel that choosing this outfit was not a mistake. Trang smiled graciously while settling down next to Lily.

It seemed that other nations hadn't started telling myths yet. There was no sign of a previous conversation being cut off by her arrival. She was about to ask but Adam was quicker. Her guess was right. Trang let out a small sigh of relief knowing she did not interrupt in anyone's story. The Asian looked up at Helena just as others did.

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Sorryyyyy I'm terribly late *bows*

I had to deal with finals so sometimes I came on the chatbox to kept me from dozing off while I studied only *sticks out tongue* but finally some free tim... WAIT! Tomorrow's MONDAY!? Arsh... *runs to continue studying*

When Lily didn't answer he felt his heart sink. Perhaps he was an uninteresting as he thought. For so long, he had taken pieces of Greece's culture, mimicking it, not really making it his own. This was just another confirmation of it.

He smiled when Trang spoke, his eyes lighting up briefly. She was always so nice to him. He shook the blush away. He had to remember his manners.

When Adam spoke he nodded and retook his seat on the couch, not too far from the young women. He glanced nervously and fidgeted, carefully trying to recount all the details of his story. Hopefully, he would not have to speak soon.

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@Adam: Yep, its time to get started~

@Trang: No worries~ Good luck on studying!!

Lily was still in her happy mood until she noticed Trang had not stepped into the house yet. Turning her head around, she saw the Vietnamese was still at the doorway offering a bag of fruits to Helena. Oh mein Gott, Lily immediately became flustered, how could she be that thoughtless!? She came here and carefreely joined the events without any specialities for the nice host lady. And she was just a listener, not even a story teller. Oh Gott! What would other nations think of her? So lost in her embarrassment, Lily did not took notice of Nekolis trying to make a conversation with her. Her head was still clouded with her self-consciousness and awkwardness.

Not until Trang came inside and motioned Lily to settle down onto the couch did the bashful girl snap out of her thoughts and have a seat. Adam’s question came up and she sighed with relief. So no one had yet to tell their stories. Her eagerness returned and her face was bright with enthusiasm once again. She tilted her head and blinked at Helena waiting for her captivated myth.

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Yay, myth time is coming ^^~
Sorry for procrastinating for so long *bows with guilty*
@Neko: Sorry i was stuck with exams and stuffs so I could not reply sooner *hugs* Lily did not mean to hurt and never ever underestimate Neko, really ~

Helena smiled and closed the door after Trang entered her home. She went to the living room where everyone was and sat down in a seat near Nekolis. She grinned at everyone that had arrived.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for coming here to tell the myths of your country and to hear the ones from the people who have joined us. I shall now begin the session with the myth of the birth of the sibling deities, Apollo and Artemis," she said. Helena sat up straight before she began her tale.

"During the ancient times in Greece, some the gods took mortals as their lovers who gsve birth to their children. Zeus, the king of the gods, did so often behind Hera's back, who was his wife and queen of the gods. One day, Zeus took a lover named Leto, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe and she became pregnant. Hera found out and forbidded anyone to take her in to give birth to her children. The queen of the gods also forced her daughter, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, to not help the woman with her labor. Leto searched throughout all of Greece, but no one would take her in. One day, however, she foudn a place to safely give birth to her children on a floating island called Delos. For nine days and nights, Leto went through a painful labor until the tenth day came and she gave birth to Artemis, her daughter. Artemis helped her mother continue her labor until Apollo, Artemis' twin borther and the god of light and music, was born. Becuase of this, Artemis not only became the goddess of the hunt, but of childbirth. Because of this, both became recognized as deities and joined their relatives on Mount Olympus. The end."

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I'M SOOOOOOO SORRY I DIDN'T REPLY SOONER!!! School has been keeping me busy and I needed to make sure I did my work. DX Forgive me for keeping you guys from posting in here for so long.

Well, I got a myth out. Sorry if it's not what you expected. However, in my defense, I love the the sibling deities, Apollo and Artemis. They are my favorites for gods and goddesses in Ancient Greece. ^^;

When Helena said she was going to begin, Yeosin's excitement rose. She tried not to show it, though. Silbeo snorted in amusement before hopping back on the seat and snuggling close. Yeosin wrapped her arms around his neck, settling in for the tale.

At first, she was annoyed. This Zeus sounded like a very promiscuous husband indeed. As the story continued, she frowned. That Hera woman sounded like more than a bit vindictive. But the children were safely born! That was good. Hearing about the birth of the twins reminded her of her own twins. She was sure, despite the painful process, Leto must have been very happy. There is no greater love than a mother's love for her children, after all.

"That was wonderful, Helena," Yeosin smiled.

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Oh school, don't you realize we all have lives? Lol. I totally understand. School is time-consuming but important. I hope things went well for you!!

Also, I LOVE Artemis and Apollo! They're my favorites of all the Gods and Goddesses too. *high five*

Adam listened intently to the story. It was one he had heard before many times. Besides Greece, his nation had the most greek people in the world. It was a ripper of a way to start the Myth convo. "That was bonza mate! A real ripper of a tale" Stories were very important in his ancient culture. After all, it was the only way back then to keep trac of them for the next generation.

"Alright, who wants to be next!?"

Kiku listened to the story Helena told with interest. He had heard some of Greek myth from Heracles before. Their gods were interesting.

"That was a good story, Helena-san," he said quite truthfully.

He waited for someone else to volunteer their tale next.

Nekolis remembered that myth. Heracles told him about it when he and his brother were small. He smiled at her then looked at his hands. Should he speak? Would they be bored with two Greek style myths?

He fidgeted. "T-that was a great story Nana. You tell it well."

Helena smiled at her guests.

"Thank you very much," she replied. Artemis the wolf also showed her appreciation to the story with a 'woof.' The Graecian lady chuckled a bit before looking at her guests.

"So, does who would like to go next? If no one volunteers, I'll choose someone to go," Helena suggested.

Surely nothing fell short of the young Liechtenstein's expectations. Nothing less from Helena's captivating myths. Lily was totally indulged in the story. Her eyes were brightened up the moment Helena mentioned Artemis. The Greek goddess of the hunt was among her favorite deities. Aside from the fact that she was extraordinarily stunning, Artemis also had absolute sovereignty over nature and was said to bring fertility to all places that worshipped her.

Hence being told about the birth of her admiring goddess had absolutely pleased Lily a great deal. With a bright smile on her face, Lily saluted
"It was an amazing myth to start with Helena. And you are such a good taleteller yourself too. I'm so delighted."

Another upcoming tale. Lily felt it hard to hold back her enthusiasm. She would definitely try to memorize these enchanting myths to share with her Bruder. He should not have missed this enjoyable event.

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^^~ Lily's mood is exactly as mine now xDD
Mythie mythie ~

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It's dying ;;n;;

Someone post a myth, please...PLEASE!!!!! TToTT

Nekolis looked about the room, no one had said anything since Lady Helena's tale. He hoped two Greek style myths in a row would not bore the crowd. Slowly, he stood up, adjusted his clothes and then cleared his throat.

"If it pleases Grandmother, I will have my turn" he started in his most diplomatic and clear tone. "I would like to tell the story of Adonis" he continued. He looked towards his kin then smiled.

He began to move about the room, story filling his brain. "Aphrodite, jealous of the princess of Cyprus, Myrrha's beauty sent a lust to Myrrha for her father. She became pregnant and ran away, for fear her father's wrath of such an event. The gods, who saw the plight took pity on her and transformed her into a tree. As she changed shape, she thought of her child and cried, her tears becoming myrrh. Her father, red with rage finds her and cuts her trunk. From the trunk a beautiful baby was born. This was Adonis. Immediately Aphrodite was smitten. She saved the infant from the the king and ferried him to the underworld. He was given to Persephone,the Goddess of the Dead, Queen of Hades to raise."

"After a time,Aphrodite came to claim the boy as a consort. To her dismay Persephone refused, for she had become enamored with the boy as well. Zeus appealed to both by ordering the youth to spend half the year with each goddess."

Nekolis's face grew dim. "One would think this would be ideal,consort of two goddesses, favored by Olympus. For a time, his life was wonderful, full of sport and revelry. One day, he was hunting and a wild boar gored him. Some say it was Ares,the god of war, or Hephaestus, the god of the smithy in disguise,jealous of the time the goddess was spending with him. Distraught by the events, the goddesses appealed to Hades. He refused, showing his own feelings of jealousy of the boy."

His face smirked."But all was not lost. A miracle happened, from the blood that fell from his body, beautiful red flowers emerged. Aphrodite took these as a sign of rebirth and used them as a favored sacrifice. As well, Persephone took them to the underworld and used them as a decoration to her house. The flowers quickly spread, symbolizing his fortitude and rebirth. To this day the flowers still bloom. Out of tragedy a beautiful blossom was born. It shows the tenacity of the human spirit, that even a single man can fell a god."

Satisfied with his story he sat back down, looking at his hands, shaking nervously.

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Whew, sorry for the long post! Hope this helps.

Simply impressive! Trang listened to the myth attentively, eyes fixed on Helena. After the ancient had finished, she just sat there gazing at her, still hoping for something more...

That was why when Nekolis stood up and told his story, Trang was so grateful to the Cypriot. Another enchanting myth! The Vietnamese girl was awed by the tales of celestial beings blended with a sense of profundity and mystery. The famous Greek myths were truly inspiring, and they were even more so when being told by Helena and Nekolis. Trang would have regretted so much had she not been able to make it here!

She smiled blissfully at Nekolis when he sat down, excitement clearly showing on her face.

Helena smiled, listening to the myth that Nekolis told her and her guests. She had not heard the myth of Adonis for quite some time and it made her happy as it was being said. She could remember countless times she relayed that story to young kids when she was a teenager. When Nekolis finished the myth, she smiled.

"That was wonderful, Nekolis. You did a wonderful job of telling the myth," Helena praised.

"That was fantastic, Nekolis-kun," Kiku said, pleased. Everything was so interesting.

Maybe he could work up his own courage to speak now.

"And I think I shall tell mine next, if that meets with your approval," he spoke to the room.

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Edit: I know have the myth itself pre-typed. So whenever this gets a reply, I guess I'm good to go, unless someone wants me to wait a bit longer.

Yeosin sat and listened to Nekolis and his tale. She frowned. Was it common in Greek tales for jealousy to lead to such ends? Absentmindedly, she stroked Silbeo's fur. Regardless, she enjoyed hearing more myths. When one lived so long, it was hard not to appreciate the marvelously spun stories each culture crafted.

"That was a wonderful tale, Nekolis-nim," Yeosin said, Silbeo growling in agreement.

Kiku scanned the room. He swallowed. "So if no one objects..." When no one raised a voice to do so, he took a breath. "Then I shall begin."

He closed his eyes for a moment, making the room disappear. When he opened them again, he didn't think about the people watching him, listening. Not even about the amount of words that was about to leave his tongue. Just the story.

Another breath, and he started to speak.

"This is a story of Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and one of her brothers, Susanoo, who had control of the oceans. Due to much destruction that he caused, Susanoo had been banished from the heavens. Upset with this outcome, Susanoo asked to go to see his sister once more. Amaterasu feared her brother was planning to take over, but agreed to have a contest with him. If he won, he could remain in the heavens, if she won, he would be banished forever.

"Amaterasu asked for Susanoo's sword and, upon receiving it, broke it into three pieces and chewed them in her mouth. She spat out the pieces and created three goddesses. Susanoo responded by taking five beads from a necklace given to him by his sister and doing the same, spitting out five gods. From this, they both claimed victory. Susanoo claimed he was more powerful because he had created more gods, Amaterasu pointed out that he had done so from her property, which showed it was her power that was greater. Susanoo refused to acknowledge this, however, and Amaterasu allowed him to stay.

"Susanoo violated many taboos and did other things to offend his sister thereafter. Destroying rice fields, causing a ruckus, and dirtying the floors. The worst came when Susanoo killed a horse of heaven, skinned it, and threw it into the hall where Amaterasu was weaving, and then he killed one of her attendants in a rage.

"Amaterasu then hid herself in a cave and refused to come out. Thus, the world was plunged into darkness. Plants wouldn't grow. Things stopped. The other gods desperately tried to think of ways to get Amaterasu out of her cave.

"A mirror was hung on a tree outside the cave and Ame-no-Uzume, the goddess of the dawn, led a wild dance to loud music and they all laughed.

"Amaterasu, hearing them, became curious and opened the door to her cave just a crack. She asked the other gods why they were so happy. They replied that they had found a goddess superior to her.

"Wanting to know how this goddess was, Amaterasu opened the door wider, only to see her own reflection in the mirror. As she paused to look, other gods pulled her out of her cave and sealed the entrance.

"Amaterasu's light shone once more, and everything returned to normal.

"As punishment for his actions, Susanoo was once again banished from the heavens."

Kiku blinked and the realization of the eyes on him made him blush. "Etto.... That is the end. ...I'm sorry if I have bored you at all."

And I won't think of any connection it has to reality, I won't. But he couldn't bring himself to look at Yeosin. He wondered what she was thinking right now....

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Sorry this was so unbelievably long!

If you couldn't read through it, here's the short version:

Amaterasu's brother really really pissed her off, so she hid in a cave. She was eventually brought out due to a trick and her own curiosity. Light returned and Susanoo was punished. The end.

Amaterasu Omikami: goddess of the sun and the heavens (one of the most important deities in Shinto belief)
Susanoo-no-Mikoto: god of the sea and storms (one of Amaterasu's two brothers - the other being Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, god of the moon)
Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto: goddess of the dawn and revelry (so basically the sun rising, and parties \o/ lol)

I've heard a couple of versions of this story where the details are a little different, but I'll leave it at this.

I was originally thinking 'geez hiding in a cave is like Japan during his period of isolation' then I suddenly thought about Yeosin, and though 'oh fu- dafkjeja;ijjieil'. I figure Kiku thought about those in a similar order.

I hope I managed to get this in time for Yeosin to see before she leaves.

Yeosin tensed a bit when Kiku announced he would tell the next myth. He had chosen the story of Amaterasu Omikami and Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Her hand clutched Silbeo's fur, eyes gazing straight ahead as Kiku recited the myth. How insensitive. Was he trying to upset her? She willed her mind not to stray from the present.

Silbeo growled low, warning Kiku and Yeosin not to travel down that path again.

What was she supposed to say? She opened and closed her mouth a few times, well aware of how unsightly it must appear to the others. It wasn't...surely he didn't...the myth came long before...She was at a loss for words. Her head snapped up to look at him. He refused to meet her gaze, and anger and hurt swelled in her chest.

"Even your deities are cruel and violent. It explains much," she whispered harshly before she could truly think about her words.

Gasping, she remembered they were not alone. Smiling, she tried to laugh off her outburst.

"It would seem you are still a wonderful teller of tales. Who is next?"

It took all of her willpower not to run away.

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I hope this doesn't disappoint!