thefarshore | (Heaven's BBS)

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(Heaven's BBS)

From: Ciel Phantomhive (Asteria)
Date: October 15th

When mortals are lifted to the position of gods, to whom do they pray? (He doesn't believe that prayer works, yet here he is, proving himself wrong daily. It's disturbingly ironic.) I stopped believing in anything or anyone - besides myself - four years ago. My experience here has not changed that, which is surprising.

(With a small frown, he readjusts his eye-patch, tying it in place behind his head.)

Is faith a myth or is it something...tangible...for you?

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A mortal bearing a god's name is far different from a god. You remain a human; we are beings apart.

We? You count yourself as a god?

I am an Aesir, which are what humans call gods. I am the Valkyrie, and of the three sisters who each might assume that mantle, I am the greatest of the goddess who govern fate. That is my nature, who I was before here, and who I remain even as the Far Shore names me Osiris.

I know very little about Valkyries, but are you connected to Valhalla? From what I understand, that is your version of "Heaven", is it not?

(She is in a rare position and he has...questions. A lot of them.)

What of your powers? Have they been expanded or limited since presuming your position as Osiris - an Egyptian god, I believe?

You are correct. Vahalla is the realm of the Aesir in Asgard, where Lord Odin reigns. [A name which now earns some measure of bitter contempt from her, strive as she might to hide it.] My powers are circumscribed only in that I can no longer send Einherjar there to become gods, since I have no means of reaching it from here.

What are Einherjar? (He can make an educated guess at most of what she says, but that throws him.)

Those whom I Choose on their deaths, to train by my side and ultimately ascend to Asgard as gods.

[Sanzang rests her elbow on the table, chin in hand, and a warm smile in place. From the headdress, the chakra mark on her forehead, and general air about her, she definitely at least looks her part of a goddess]

For me, it's always been something tangible. I was raised in a monastery that found me floating in the river as a baby, so my faith in the gods has always been with me.

When I got older, the goddess whose role I now occupy, Guanyin, visited me in my dreams to give me a task of great importance, and I was sent west to fulfill it and offered a place in the Heavens for completing it. I turned it down, but the experience taught me a lot about my faith.

I believe in the gods, of course, but I think praying and relying on the works differently than most people think, you know?

Edited 2018-02-16 16:49 (UTC)

(She is pretty enough to bring a small flush to the young Earl's cheeks, but when he speaks, he is all business.)

Why did you turn down the task? It seems a fine deal to me. Many would give everything to be in the heavens.

(Or "heaven" as he knows it.)

I don't follow. Do you believe prayer is effective? Do you truly believe any great being is listening?

I wanted to go home. [She laughs softly.] When I left on this journey, I wasn't too much older than you, I think! It was dangerous and terrifying--either myself or the friends I'd made had almost died numerous times. It took a long, long time to walk from China to India! By the end, so much had happened and I'd changed and learned so much... The Heavens were in need of repairing and there was so much work to do, and...

I was very tired. I just wanted to see my home again and everyone I had left behind. When I got older, I still had a place there, though, so it's not like I lost the chance forever! I just wanted to do a little more living in the human world.

As for prayers... [She tilts her head, the jewels on her headdress tinkling together pleasantly as she considers, tapping at her bottom lip with her finger in thought.] With so many people praying at any given time, it'd be a real headache for the god if they had to listen to them all, right? That's why I think only specific or really special or important prayers might be heard and need divine intervention for. If the gods helped out with every little thing humans prayed for help with, they'd never learn to do anything themselves, right?

So... For normal prayers, just the act of praying can be a big help. The first step to getting help is admitting you have a problem in the first place, and I think prayer can be that step. When you pray, you're usually laying out what the problem is that you need help with, and once it's on your mind, you can usually start seeing solutions pop up or start thinking things through.

There's a popular phrase in my religion that says, "You yourself must strive; The Buddha only points the way." I think the same can be applied to this sort of thing.

How old do I seem to you? (That is a dangerous question and he feels his muscles tense in preparation for the answer she will give. She will say he is younger than his actual age because, Lord knows, he looks it.) You...walked that far? I find the feat remarkable even if I do not understand the reason for it.

(His lips twist.) Small problems can become greater and greater until they overwhelm the one who prays with desperation and misery. Do the gods simply keep ignoring them or is it only then that they answer?

Hmm, I'm not usually good at gauging human ages, but... 14 or 15? [She'd had a baby face as a kid too, so she sympathizes a little. She laughs a bit at his comment on her traveling though] And it's not like we had cars or anything! Traveling is so much easier now!

[Teleporting helps too.

His question gets a thoughtful hum and she tilts her head from one side to the other as she thinks, the jewelry clinking together pleasantly again] For the most part, gods try not to interfere at all with the human world. Truthfully, a lot of them don't even like humans. I suppose it depends on what the problem is and if anything can be done... It might be a case where the solution isn't something simple that magic can fix.

[She smiles apologetically.] I'm sorry. There's usually too many factors that go into a decision to help, there's not really a straight-forward answer...

Considering our situation, isn't prayer a little like asking your neighbor for a cup of flour?

I find that the more experience I have with divinity, the less I bother with faith.

Some would disagree. We are mortals no matter our position. Should we perish, another mortal could fill our role.

That is an interesting way of thinking.

Edited 2018-02-19 08:06 (UTC)

Do you disagree? After all, the older gods here can be killed, too, and our presence is enough to hint that mortals can fill their roles.

And what would you have faith in when you're the one being called a god? Would you worship the older gods? Some still-unseen higher power? Yourself?

I do not believe in the power of any god to save or redeem. We are truly nothing but pompous mortals with magic powers in a place that calls itself paradise.

(Be hopeful, Ciel. Or...try.)

I believe in myself.

You're a god, too. Ah -- please don't think I'm being arrogant by saying this. It's something I've only recently been forced to accept for myself: clinging to our pasts as mortal beings doesn't absolve us of the responsibility of gods.

Of course, it also doesn't make it any easier to "save" anyone.

I am not looking for absolution. (Actually he is. Desperately. But it's always out of his reach.)

Can we save anyone, truly? They will all die eventually no matter what we do.

It's true, nothing is forever. Still, it's possible to do things that are worthwhile.

I'm not sure I'd consider immortality that worthwhile a gift, personally.

[ Rather than an answer there's a stream of smoke that blocks his view of the speaker, though it's only for a moment, and soon a tall red-haired man with a cigarette between his lips becomes visible. ]

Faith has nothing to do with gods.

Edited 2018-02-16 20:08 (UTC)

(His nose wrinkles - he can imagine the smell of the smoke (~~opium dens are especially pungent~~) - and he sits back.)

Why do you say that?

Because they made me one.

You pray to whomever you want to hear your prayers. Or you simply don't pray at all.

It's completely your decision.

I doubt anyone is listening. For me, it feels as if I am speaking to the air.

Maybe that's why no one's listening.

If you don't have anyone in mind when you're speaking...how are they supposed to know when to hear you?

I had someone in mind...years ago. But he failed me and I do not believe in him anymore.

[ Devil's come a-calling Ciel... and his message is ironic. ]

My father always made sure to remind me that the Lord is by my side. Even here, given the position I've been assigned to, I'd like to think there was some sort of purpose to it all. My faith has always been tangible but I guess that comes along with it being a large part of my life while I was growing up.

(He is covered with them, it seems.)

What would you do if your faith was shattered? Would you continue to seek it and bind the pieces together or would you relinquish it entirely?

[ Irony or demons? There's plenty of both to be had here, either way. ]

I don't believe God would abandon anyone so easily. Times of adversity only serve to strengthen us and test our faith. If my trust in the Lord did happen to be shattered, then I'd seek out answers toward why I had started to question my faith rather than completely giving it up.

(...both. Touche.

He gives a short, sharp, bitter laugh.)

I have heard that tripe before. (No, Ciel. Play nice. Religion is delicate.) Knowing why I was ignored doesn't change what happened or what (who) I lost.

[ Wow this one's even more bitter than he is. But ah, a difficult one. He's not going to start preaching though. It isn't his job to convert. ]

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

[ It's a flimsy answer, yes. But this is getting him to think. ]

Though I wonder if someone's going to show up one day being assigned to God's position.

(He is beyond conversion at this point. Even if he wanted to go back, he can't.

Ciel makes a derisive sound.)

How vague.

(He scowls at the idea, but what would it change for him, really?)

Does it matter? It would be mimicry only.

[ Look man the son of Satan still has faith. There may be hope for you yet. ]

Is it? But then you have to ask what exactly happened to the old gods in the first place.

(He doesn't want hope. Hope only ends up in misery - or so he thinks.)

Perhaps it has been mimicry all along. We have been praying to magical mortals.

It really wouldn't be that too far fetched to believe. With all the information we've been given about the situation, we're technically going in blind.

[ It's kind of frustrating to think about. ]

We have gods who still have a following and gods long forgotten. Why here? Why now?

I think the best thing is to just have faith in the people around you.

That seems nearly as treacherous as believing in gods.

It can be, but that's why it's "faith" and not "belief."

Hello, I'm Eric.

What brought this on?

I know who you are. (He sighs.) I think of this every day. I don't see how you couldn't.

You do? When did we meet?

Every day? That must get tiresome. Why don't you get a hobby to distract you?

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