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deercountry2021-09-08 06:20 pm
reddosmod) wrote in deercountry2021-09-08 06:20 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- abby anderson: c,
- albert wesker: ref,
- albus dumbledore: catharine,
- amos burton: trace,
- anakin skywalker: michele,
- anduin llane wrynn: jack,
- ange ushiromiya: jelle,
- anna amarande: celene,
- ariadne: wizera,
- arthur: adri,
- atsushi nakajima: berri,
- bella swan: cee,
- castiel (au): frog,
- charlie kelly: ashlee,
- childe: bean,
- clarisse la rue: lor,
- darth maul: shade,
- dean winchester (au): cat,
- delilah dirk: c,
- diarmuid: ashlee,
- diluc ragnvindr: samuel,
- eames (au): frank,
- eurydice: floral,
- faolan: teresa,
- fern: pan,
- flynn fairwind: teresa,
- flynn scifo: jordan,
- goro akechi: kei,
- hunk garrett: lexie,
- huntress: catharine,
- jezebel disraeli : catharine,
- john constantine: dmitri,
- kd6-3.7: moz,
- korra: c,
- kyle broflovski: emma,
- lance: charley,
- lev: ru,
- levi ackerman: carmine,
- loki laufeyson: lauren,
- luca: robin,
- lucille sharpe: clari,
- luna lovegood: cheryl,
- luz noceda: pedro,
- lysithea: wighty,
- makoto kino: mesi,
- manabu yuuki: elle,
- melius senyan: red,
- michael: lu,
- mike wheeler: giz,
- minako aino: fay,
- nancy wheeler: clari,
- neopolitan: latroma,
- obi-wan kenobi: timmy,
- orpheus: qv,
- oz vessalius: berri,
- peter graham: jhey,
- peter parker: ashlee,
- qrow branwen: batty,
- raleigh becket: andi,
- reaper: vette,
- rei hino: ax,
- richie tozier: effy,
- ruby rose: josh,
- sam winchester (au): ashlee,
- samatoki aohitsugi: carmine,
- savage opress: vette,
- scorpia: gore,
- soldier blue: elle,
- stefan salvatore: trace,
- takashi "shiro" shirogane: red,
- the emperor: rona,
- varian: tf,
- vira-lorr: latroma,
- vyng vang zoombah: jansen,
- wanda maximoff: jade,
- wei wuxian: tohma,
- will byers: cee,
- willow rosenberg: lucy,
- winter schnee: mesi,
- wu: mads,
- yuri lowell: mads,
- zari tarazi: lauren
All men must die, but first he must live.
SEPTEMBER 2021 EVENT
IMAGE DESCRIPTORS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
Prompt One
[Image One: Woman holding skull in bag. ]
[Image Two: Plants sprouting out of earth.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Woman rocking back and forth in dark.]
[Image Two: Woman rowing down river with corpses on stakes on horizon.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Beef cake man breaking arrows off of shield with a sword.]
[Image Two: Beefy man slamming axe into troll-like creature, spraying blood.]
GROWING PAINS
RIVER OF REGRET
BLOODSPORT
CODINGPrompt One
[Image One: Woman holding skull in bag. ]
[Image Two: Plants sprouting out of earth.]
Prompt Two
[Image One: Woman rocking back and forth in dark.]
[Image Two: Woman rowing down river with corpses on stakes on horizon.]
Prompt Three
[Image One: Beef cake man breaking arrows off of shield with a sword.]
[Image Two: Beefy man slamming axe into troll-like creature, spraying blood.]
WHEN: September
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Minor blood ritual.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: Minor blood ritual.
September, for many in Trench, is considered a month of personal sacrifice. It is the month of self-actualization and promise. To grow your future, you must first be willing to sacrifice your past. You cannot walk forwards while walking backward. All throughout Trench, natives can be seen in yards and on plots of land digging small holes and planting a variety of items. Some plant seeds, some drop in a ring, others bury small parts of a body. But the ritual is simple: bury something that represents your past and seal it with a promise for your future.
You can write yourself a note or cut off a lock of your own hair. The ways in which people do this are limitless since it's a largely personal experience. Find a small patch of soil and dig yourself a shallow hole. Bury the item inside, say goodbye to who you used to be, and cover the item up with dirt. Once you are done, you must shed at least one drop of blood onto the sacrifice. It must be your own blood willingly given. Once the blood hits the soil, a small flower will miraculously grow out of the earth within seconds.
A single, powerless flower, but this flower will be completely immortal. You can either keep it on the patch of land or dig it up and bring it home. The flower will be a representation of your progress in Trench: if its petals wilt, you are lingering too much in the past. If it is in full bloom and vibrant, you're on the right path to a better future. If the flower starts to rot, you're heading down a dangerous path.
The flower may not be able to sway you one way or another, but it may serve as a valuable reminder of the kind of life you wish to lead. Some people abandon the flowers entirely and never bother with them. After all, there are no real consequences if you let the flower rot. If a character is dropped, their flower will fleck away like dust. Many believe that the flowers are made of the same stuff omens are made of.
You can dig up other people's flowers and watch their progress (make sure to get player permission) instead. After all, not everyone will care enough about their own flowers to really observe them closely. The flowers can come in any species or size, even fictional flowers, but they will only be replicas. Meaning if your character's flower is typically used for healing, there will be no healing properties in this replica. The flowers cannot be destroyed.
Many natives in Trench will repeat this ritual a few times every couple of years since the ritual is for letting go of the past. After all, the promises you make to yourself now won't be the same promises you make to yourself ten years from now. People change and so too will their flowers. What the characters bury is largely open to interpretation.
You can write yourself a note or cut off a lock of your own hair. The ways in which people do this are limitless since it's a largely personal experience. Find a small patch of soil and dig yourself a shallow hole. Bury the item inside, say goodbye to who you used to be, and cover the item up with dirt. Once you are done, you must shed at least one drop of blood onto the sacrifice. It must be your own blood willingly given. Once the blood hits the soil, a small flower will miraculously grow out of the earth within seconds.
A single, powerless flower, but this flower will be completely immortal. You can either keep it on the patch of land or dig it up and bring it home. The flower will be a representation of your progress in Trench: if its petals wilt, you are lingering too much in the past. If it is in full bloom and vibrant, you're on the right path to a better future. If the flower starts to rot, you're heading down a dangerous path.
The flower may not be able to sway you one way or another, but it may serve as a valuable reminder of the kind of life you wish to lead. Some people abandon the flowers entirely and never bother with them. After all, there are no real consequences if you let the flower rot. If a character is dropped, their flower will fleck away like dust. Many believe that the flowers are made of the same stuff omens are made of.
You can dig up other people's flowers and watch their progress (make sure to get player permission) instead. After all, not everyone will care enough about their own flowers to really observe them closely. The flowers can come in any species or size, even fictional flowers, but they will only be replicas. Meaning if your character's flower is typically used for healing, there will be no healing properties in this replica. The flowers cannot be destroyed.
Many natives in Trench will repeat this ritual a few times every couple of years since the ritual is for letting go of the past. After all, the promises you make to yourself now won't be the same promises you make to yourself ten years from now. People change and so too will their flowers. What the characters bury is largely open to interpretation.
WHEN: September
WHERE: Some obscure location within Gaze
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mangled corpses of loved ones, birds eating corpses, themes of regret.
WHERE: Some obscure location within Gaze
CONTENT WARNINGS: Mangled corpses of loved ones, birds eating corpses, themes of regret.
You will find raven feathers all over Trench. They may drift through the air, lightly touch you, or you might decide to pick one up. The moment you come into physical contact with a feather, a conspiracy of ravens tears through the air and scoops you up into a whirlwind of feathers and caws. It only lasts a few seconds before you're deposited into a canoe drifting along a still river. Another Sleeper is in the boat with you. You pass beneath massive stone walls carved into the likeness of Never Mind and his ravens.
The world is silent around you. There is no rain here. Instead, sunlight pours through breaks in the clouds. Sunlight dapples across the water and golden-red leaves of nearby trees. It's more serene than most places in Trench.
You turn a corner and smell it before you see it. The picturesque summer day is dampened by the stench of rot. Then you come upon them: corpses. Corpses tied up to posts with barbed wire, corpses put through spikes and suspended in the air. Ravens flutter to and fro, picking at strips of meat. It isn't until you're close enough that you realize you recognize the corpses.
They are the corpses of people you have hurt. And that doesn't just mean people you killed or physically harmed. These are the bodies of people you have deep regrets towards: a lover you wronged, a best friend you lied to, an enemy you wish you had forgiven. Not everything is as black and white as murder, after all, and this grisly graveyard of mangled bodies says as much. Sometimes our regrets haunt us like the dead, and it seems like yours have followed you to Trench. You might even see your own body up on a post or the body of your canoe companions.
You have one of two choices: ignore your regret or face it.
Choosing to ignore your regrets doesn't seem to have any ill consequences at first. You pass by the corpses and continue on your river voyage. But the water grows thicker, and you come across the same corpses only in a worse state. The situation gets progressively worse each time you ignore it, and the river gradually becomes a river of blood and gore. The stench becomes insufferable and you will become increasingly corrupt. Some may even turn into beasts right there on the river.
Facing your regrets means talking about them, even mildly, to your canoe companions. You simply need to acknowledge the corpses, acknowledge the slightest truth to your feelings towards those regrets. When everyone in your canoe has acknowledged their regrets, the ravens will come for you once more. You will be brought back to Trench and awaken in the School of Mutter. Those who faced their regrets will discover that they have been gifted a white gold compass. The compass's needle will always point in the direction of the nearest Lamp Friend no matter the chaos going on in the world. But the compass only works once you have calmed down and focused.
QUICK FACTS
1. Each boat can hold up to 4 people. There can be multiple canoes in the same area.
2. If you try to leave the boat, you will drown in the River of Regret.
3. This does not have to encompass every regret someone's had. It can only represent one or two things. The regret should have to do with another individual or one's self. Something like "I regret not going to college" wouldn't necessarily work within the parameters of the prompt.
4. The river can only be accessed by touching a fallen raven feather. Touching a raven feather attached to the bird or a quill does not count.
5. Characters can engage with this prompt as many times as they touch a raven feather.
6. Characters with no regrets will not see corpses, but they will still be able to interact with characters who do have regrets.
The world is silent around you. There is no rain here. Instead, sunlight pours through breaks in the clouds. Sunlight dapples across the water and golden-red leaves of nearby trees. It's more serene than most places in Trench.
You turn a corner and smell it before you see it. The picturesque summer day is dampened by the stench of rot. Then you come upon them: corpses. Corpses tied up to posts with barbed wire, corpses put through spikes and suspended in the air. Ravens flutter to and fro, picking at strips of meat. It isn't until you're close enough that you realize you recognize the corpses.
They are the corpses of people you have hurt. And that doesn't just mean people you killed or physically harmed. These are the bodies of people you have deep regrets towards: a lover you wronged, a best friend you lied to, an enemy you wish you had forgiven. Not everything is as black and white as murder, after all, and this grisly graveyard of mangled bodies says as much. Sometimes our regrets haunt us like the dead, and it seems like yours have followed you to Trench. You might even see your own body up on a post or the body of your canoe companions.
Choosing to ignore your regrets doesn't seem to have any ill consequences at first. You pass by the corpses and continue on your river voyage. But the water grows thicker, and you come across the same corpses only in a worse state. The situation gets progressively worse each time you ignore it, and the river gradually becomes a river of blood and gore. The stench becomes insufferable and you will become increasingly corrupt. Some may even turn into beasts right there on the river.
Facing your regrets means talking about them, even mildly, to your canoe companions. You simply need to acknowledge the corpses, acknowledge the slightest truth to your feelings towards those regrets. When everyone in your canoe has acknowledged their regrets, the ravens will come for you once more. You will be brought back to Trench and awaken in the School of Mutter. Those who faced their regrets will discover that they have been gifted a white gold compass. The compass's needle will always point in the direction of the nearest Lamp Friend no matter the chaos going on in the world. But the compass only works once you have calmed down and focused.
QUICK FACTS
1. Each boat can hold up to 4 people. There can be multiple canoes in the same area.
2. If you try to leave the boat, you will drown in the River of Regret.
3. This does not have to encompass every regret someone's had. It can only represent one or two things. The regret should have to do with another individual or one's self. Something like "I regret not going to college" wouldn't necessarily work within the parameters of the prompt.
4. The river can only be accessed by touching a fallen raven feather. Touching a raven feather attached to the bird or a quill does not count.
5. Characters can engage with this prompt as many times as they touch a raven feather.
6. Characters with no regrets will not see corpses, but they will still be able to interact with characters who do have regrets.
WHEN: During the Blood Moon
WHERE: Everywhere but specifically, The Gate
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, fighting, forced aggression/violence, forced fighting.
WHERE: Everywhere but specifically, The Gate
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, fighting, forced aggression/violence, forced fighting.
The Blood Moon invokes religious reverence among Trenchies. September and October are the ultimate months of sacrifice to pay tribute to the gods and the blood that rules this world. An energy begins to swell among Trenchies and you keep hearing the same word whispered excitedly around the city: "Bloodsport."
As the Blood Moon floods the streets in red, you begin to feel antsy, like you don't know what to do with yourself. You're not necessarily angry, you just have an abundance of energy. You don't need to be told what it is: your blood is reacting to the moon. The Blood Moon enhances blood powers significantly and you're simply not used to that yet. You don't feel in control of your own power or maybe even your own mind. At least until you exert some power, some force. Slam a door shut or swing a sword, shoot some electricity or spit some poison and you'll feel at peace with yourself. That nervous energy will ease out.
Only to come back twice as strong. It starts to put you in a real fighting mood and you start to realize why the locals call this Bloodsport. Hunting down beasts and monsters might seem like the fun thing to do right now, but the real attraction for Bloodsport takes place at The Gate. You can hear the roaring crowd blocks away. Hundreds of Trenchies have settled in to watch Sleepers duke it out with each other or with locked-up monsters. Maybe join in the fight. At least you know the other Sleepers there want to be there...Right?
Unfortunately not. Those who resist Bloodsport will find themselves passing out more and more frequently. Eventually, they will be taken by Mysterious Forces to The Gate to be pitted against other Sleepers and monsters. Some Sleepers will be forced into a gladiator-style fight that they either must win or die trying. Most fights at the Gate do end in death, but there are some circumstances where someone surrenders. Of course, that never stops their opponent from killing them anyway...Hopefully, you're fighting someone who is still relatively reasonable. Both parties can be resistant to fighting, but they will feel obligated to fight each other. If they don't, monsters will be unleashed into the arena and your situation will get a whole lot worse.
Bloodsport can greatly enhance a Sleeper's ability and many believe it is a gift from the Pthumerian gods. It is generally considered an advantage to Sleepers during the Season of Blood to prepare them and train them to hone their skills for the Season of Bone. Many believe it is wisest to submit to Bloodsport and let yourself get used to the motions of violence in order to survive the remainder of the year.
QUICK FACTS
1. Casual physical training will alleviate Bloodsport feelings. You could get through the month just by jogging around a lot.
2. Characters forced to the Gate will not remember how or when they arrived - they will just wake up and be thrown into the Gate by some shadowy force.
3. Characters who willingly participate in violence/fighting will feel temporary relief from Bloodsport only for the feeling to increase.
4. Effects of Bloodsport last as long as the Blood Moon shines through September and October.
5. You can treat symptoms of Bloodsport with calming techniques such as aromatherapy, meditation, medications, etc. Can be based on what would ICly help calm your character but it should require a lot of it.
6. You can invent the monsters/beasts that are at the Gate. They should be killable creatures and easily captured for the purpose of the Gate.
As the Blood Moon floods the streets in red, you begin to feel antsy, like you don't know what to do with yourself. You're not necessarily angry, you just have an abundance of energy. You don't need to be told what it is: your blood is reacting to the moon. The Blood Moon enhances blood powers significantly and you're simply not used to that yet. You don't feel in control of your own power or maybe even your own mind. At least until you exert some power, some force. Slam a door shut or swing a sword, shoot some electricity or spit some poison and you'll feel at peace with yourself. That nervous energy will ease out.
Only to come back twice as strong. It starts to put you in a real fighting mood and you start to realize why the locals call this Bloodsport. Hunting down beasts and monsters might seem like the fun thing to do right now, but the real attraction for Bloodsport takes place at The Gate. You can hear the roaring crowd blocks away. Hundreds of Trenchies have settled in to watch Sleepers duke it out with each other or with locked-up monsters. Maybe join in the fight. At least you know the other Sleepers there want to be there...Right?
Unfortunately not. Those who resist Bloodsport will find themselves passing out more and more frequently. Eventually, they will be taken by Mysterious Forces to The Gate to be pitted against other Sleepers and monsters. Some Sleepers will be forced into a gladiator-style fight that they either must win or die trying. Most fights at the Gate do end in death, but there are some circumstances where someone surrenders. Of course, that never stops their opponent from killing them anyway...Hopefully, you're fighting someone who is still relatively reasonable. Both parties can be resistant to fighting, but they will feel obligated to fight each other. If they don't, monsters will be unleashed into the arena and your situation will get a whole lot worse.
Bloodsport can greatly enhance a Sleeper's ability and many believe it is a gift from the Pthumerian gods. It is generally considered an advantage to Sleepers during the Season of Blood to prepare them and train them to hone their skills for the Season of Bone. Many believe it is wisest to submit to Bloodsport and let yourself get used to the motions of violence in order to survive the remainder of the year.
QUICK FACTS
1. Casual physical training will alleviate Bloodsport feelings. You could get through the month just by jogging around a lot.
2. Characters forced to the Gate will not remember how or when they arrived - they will just wake up and be thrown into the Gate by some shadowy force.
3. Characters who willingly participate in violence/fighting will feel temporary relief from Bloodsport only for the feeling to increase.
4. Effects of Bloodsport last as long as the Blood Moon shines through September and October.
5. You can treat symptoms of Bloodsport with calming techniques such as aromatherapy, meditation, medications, etc. Can be based on what would ICly help calm your character but it should require a lot of it.
6. You can invent the monsters/beasts that are at the Gate. They should be killable creatures and easily captured for the purpose of the Gate.
no subject
He shakes Peter's hand, smiling.]
Oh my god, your buddy the monk would have been alive right before that, I think, if he's from Europe. Pretty sure bubonic plague was the 14th century. [Kyle is, to put it lightly, a nerd.] I really fucking hope that doesn't happen though. Aside from the whole pandemic thing, it also didn't turn out so great for certain groups of people.
The house I'm living in totally has like, Victorian crap in it. But there's definitely features from different parts of Europe and times as well? My friend Vira-Lorr has a washer and dryer. I dunno, it's weird but kinda cool. So I'm trying not to drive myself nuts by nailing down an actual year.
no subject
Wait, really? ( He is, alternatively, not very knowledgeable in history — what does it even mean that Diarmuid's from the 13th century?? Is that like... medieval? Probably?? ) I honestly don't know much about it. We had to watch a documentary about it in like, middle school, but they definitely toned it down a lot.
( Ah yes, the American public school system...... not the best exposure to accurate history. Peter fiddles with a pencil as he listens; he hasn't made the conversion to using quills and ink, which seems to be the norm here. Fortunately, speaking of nerds, he's dating one — and she'd given him some nice school supplies she'd been saving since Deerington. Nerds are the best. )
Come to think of it, I've definitely seen some stuff from different time periods around. Maybe there is no actual year.... ( Which is really trippy to think about, but everything's weird here and they're all squids now, so it kind of tracks. )
no subject
Yeah, really! It's probably good he got out before the plague hit. When it came to monasteries, pretty much anyone who was a good monk died because they'd actually tend the sick. The plague actually can be traced as a seed of the Reformation because the Church was freaked out so they were like, "nah, fam, you can do your own last rites and shit" which kinda proved they were superfluous. [He looks delighted to be able to share these tidbits. A veteran of terribly funded schools himself, Kyle has clearly long been a fan of independent learning.]
Dude, right? Fucking spooky.
no subject
Jesus, I had no idea about all of that. ( Peter genuinely looks baffled at the thought — and genuinely interested, which is rare for him, at least when it comes to... stretching his brain... But the whole subject of The Church and the history of like, religion, is something that's kind of on his mind a bit more these days? It's a prickle of discomfort — but something he can't help being curious about and returning to, like sticking his tongue into the space left over by a baby tooth that fell out. )
I don't know much about... religious stuff. Like the history of it and everything? Sounds like there's a lot to it. ( Peter pauses, seeming to be thinking about something for a moment before he looks back up to the older boy. ) Was that what you were studying in college?
( At least, he's assuming Kyle came here out of college, considering the whole dorm situation and the fact he's clearly Hella Smart. )
no subject
[Kyle is likewise pleased to meet what he thinks of as a 'normal' person. He's been dealing with a lot of space wizards and shit for the past few months.]
Oh, yeah, it's fucking fascinating. And you really don't think about it much, because why would you? I grew up in a town full of Catholics but it wasn't like most people were hardcore religious, they just went to Church 'cause that was just what you did.
[He shakes his head, curls bouncing when he does.] Nah, I was a political science major. I just read and listened to a bunch of stuff on the plague because a friend told me it started because of the Jews. Which is bullshit, obviously, but as it turns out people really DID believe that. I had never really heard about it, but in some places in Europe they rounded up all the Jews and fucking burned them alive. In northern Europe a bunch of em were like, dude, fuck this, and fucked off to Poland, which is where my family is from. Makes you wonder, you know? Like maybe my great-great-great-great-great grandma survived the plague.
[Kyle smiles a little.] And then got the fuck out of Poland later because, well. Nazis. Anyway, my friend just brought it up to burn my ass but I wound up really enjoying the research so joke's on that fat bastard.
There was some pretty crazy stuff about this Pope who moved the whole heart of the Church to Avignon to be with his mistress or something? It was just basically a super crazy time, and that's not even getting into the economic fallout.
[He laughs suddenly, rubbing the back of his neck.] Oh wow, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to fucking lecture you. Just tell me if I bore you, I won't be offended.
no subject
And maybe, just maybe, Peter can actually do some hanging out with people around his age. Imagine!
The attentiveness just deepens, Peter leaning against his palm as he watches the other boy, taking in everything he says with a focus that might not quite match his... awkward, perpetually zoned-out stoner vibes. But this is fucking interesting, and he's getting to hear about someone else's history, their family, and he does want to learn more. )
Oh no— it's... it's actually really.. really cool? I uh. My family never really did religion or anything like that. Like we didn't go to church or anything? I guess I never thought much about it, until... well, coming to Deerington, actually. That other town before this one.
( A flicker of discomfort darts across his features, and the younger boy frowns a little. He really doesn't want to ruin this new acquaintanceship by bringing up demon shit, but... it's there, and it's not going anywhere, and maybe it's nice to talk about this kind of thing with someone. )
Like... when I came there, I learned shit like demons and stuff are apparently just— real, so that was a thing. I guess I've been kind of curious about it now. Religious stuff in general. So learning the history of some of it — the like, objective facts about where certain stuff came from? That's really cool. As... fucking horrible as parts of it are. ( Forget demons for a minute, what about the absolutely disgusting things humans have done to one another? It's... sobering, sad, as much as it is interesting to learn about. Peter gives a soft, almost nervous exhale. )
Fuck, though. The more I learn about like... what religion's been responsible for, the scarier it is.
no subject
[Kyle visibly relaxes. He knows he has a tendency to bore the fuck out of people if he goes off about something he learned.]
Oh, fuck, demons and shit, yeah. I'd say I don't believe in any of that bullshit except I have literally seen Satan? Or I hallucinated a lot as a kid. I'm not entirely sure. Which... makes me sound crazy, awesome.
[What are social skills?]
Oh, dude, yeah. Humans are just really great at killing each other over who's right about god. I think of myself as relatively agnostic - I mean, I'm Jewish ethnically, and I DO go to Temple and shit sometimes, but I don't think we've got it all figured out or anything. I think it helps that we're not a proselyting religion. Like you don't have to be Jewish to get the good afterlife. So it was never a 'we have to convert or kill the people who disagree with us' thing, you know? Not since the Hellenistic era or something, anyway. But we're still messed up, I promise.
A VERY LATE BACKTAG / cw: some fourthwall-ish things.... thanks, metaphorical horror
( Don't mind him as his eyes widen like saucers for a moment, regarding the whole literally seen Satan bit. Hallucination or not, that sounds absolutely terrifying, and now that he knows The Devil does in fact exist in multiple universes and forms.... there's an almost morbid curiosity about Kyle's experience. )
Oh my god... that's absolutely wild. What did he uh... look like...? If you're okay talking more about it, I mean.
( That same kind of nervous curiosity persists, Peter still so new to different types of religion, how they work. Really, the most direct experience he has with anyone religious is from that 13th century monk he'd mentioned before. And ironically enough, Peter's also technically ethnically Jewish — but being the only Ashkenazi Jew in his household is meant to be #ForTheMetaphor, so it's not something that's ever directly addressed! Allegorical horror canons, man. )
Agnostic is the people who aren't sure, right? That might be me, too.... especially after coming here. ( Meeting people from all over various universes, with various types of gods and other such entities. Peter taps his fingers idly against his notebook, thinking about it. Then he can't help saying what he does next, after a quiet laugh. It's.. a morbid thing to say, but he at least tries to take some of the edge off. ) I mean, I'm pretty sure my soul's screwed no matter what, so I guess it doesn't even matter what label I put on things.
no subject
[Oh thank god, Peter doesn't think he's nuts. Or he hides it really, really well.] Yeah, it's cool. Uhm, he's really tall, like gotta be ten feet easy. Bright red, little black beard and moustache combo. Horns, goat legs. Super jacked. And he's really, really gay. Like you can't tell that by looking, obviously, but he is. He's pretty cool, though, he taught my best friend about naturalism. And my best friend's Catholic so you tell me what the fuck that means.
[Pity the Pthumerians don't do Hanukkah.]
Yeah, exactly. [Kyle laughs and shrugs.] I mean, maybe? I once heard that heaven only has Mormons in it. Who knows, you know?
Although dude, for seriously? I find the whole particularly American idea of damnation to be super reductive. And like, I've thought about this a lot - when I was a kid I had a few crises of faith because we were literally the only Jewish family in town and at one point I was like... okay, if you don't believe in certain shit for us nothing changes because hell isn't really a thing for us. But if you're Catholic and you fuck up? Straight to the fiery pit. So I was like, mom, dad, we should convert because if we're right it doesn't matter but if we're wrong we're screwed. That went over like a lead fucking balloon, let me tell you, I can still hear my mom shrieking.
Anyway, my point is that after like fifteen years of off and on again pondering, I can safely say that I don't think half of what we consider a danger to our souls actually is. So you're probably totally fine. [He laughs.] Although like, if not I'll definitely see you there because I have done some... questionable shit.