"The Oddity of the Spark" ((Inuyoko Mass #32))

"The Oddity of the Spark"

by Inuyoko

Originally read in deoch 217 on the 4th sun of the 7th moon.

((01/22/2026))

Hello, everyone. My name is Inuyoko T’Alveni. I am a Priestess of this Shrine, and a member of its clergy since deoch 53. Last double-moon, I spoke about how we can help protect the font of our creativity from running dry by making sure we take the time to get out, live, and have new experiences. Today, I’d like to talk about Aislinghood. The essence and nature of the spark, if you will. 

This is a deep subject, and one that I don’t intend to dig very deeply into today, but I was intrigued as I was studying in the library recently by a document unearthed in deoch 31 by Frist Vire. It was called “Danaan’s Folly”, apparently written by a Mundane by the name of Cleirach Parthalan early after the first Aislings were sparked. Interestingly, this document reveals a skepticism and fear that in hindsight, is quite understandable, but which feels foreign to us these days. We have gone through many social zeitgeists and shifts as Aislings, but it is easy to forget that consistently through them, we are *strange*. Though there are those amongst us who have been able to bridge this sort of weirdness gap between Aislings and Mundanes, and form very deep relationships, it is clear that in spite of being cut from the same cloth, so to speak, there is a vast difference in our abilities and tendencies. 

Many of the abilities and behaviors we take for granted, from our ability to “whisper” to each other without speaking, to the way we seem to blink from existence, are unique to us. It is understandable how this would be alarming to those who lived through the transition from the time of Danaan into the atavism age and beyond. Even in a world filled with magic, the Aisling experience is special. The conclusion that Cleirach reaches at the end of that work is that it is likely true that our power is derived from the gods. Of course I agree with this. I have often said that the spark makes us a reflection of the gods themselves, and grants us a small piece of their power. Indeed, it feels like it must be so, for how else would we fit so neatly into Danaan’s plan, standing at the center of the Octave?

There is no need for us to feel self-conscious about these facts. However, sometimes I think it is worth it to stop and reflect on our position and place in Temuair. It can help us to be mindful about how we spend our time, and how we interact with each other and the world itself. Deoch’s gift to us comes with great power. It is the least we can do to reflect on it and wield it responsibly.