Heaven's BBS | Text

[godsoffortune]

From: Amaterasu
Date: June 27, 2016

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I would first like to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone for the troubles that I have caused. You do not deserve to suffer for my sake, but I have unknowingly put you all through so much despite that. I am very sorry to have worried you all and I promise that I will be kept very safe, so please put your minds at ease.

With that said, I find myself in a position of making a hard choice. As the Queen of the Heavens, it is up to me to ultimately decide our choices from this point forward. I feel that it is important to acknowledge what has happened here and try to fix the underlying problems that have caused the most recent fuss.

Before I make any decisions, though, I want to hear from all of you. You all fall under my jurisdiction as much as any of the Old Gods and I would hate to leave you out of my reasoning and choices. I fear that we have done that for too long already.

Please feel free to offer me your opinions and thoughts on how the insurgents should be sought out and handled and I will do my best to reply to you all. Again, I am sorry for what has transpired. I know my apologies mean little, but they are the most important things I can offer right now.

And thank you all. Especially to those who came to my aid in my time of need. I owe you all a huge debt of gratitude.

☼ Amaterasu ☼

Comments

From: Hebe | private

[eternalshield]

As sovereign lady of this land, Your Ladyship needs to accept that your safety can never be guaranteed. The best leaders, divine and mortal alike, do not solely rely on the protection vouchsafed for them by heaven.

[Of course, he means Hiryuu and Yona.]

Their own bravery compels them to be leaders in truth as well as title. Of course your loyal shinki will always be at your call, and of course they will do their best to never let you be vulnerable, but given you were already vulnerable today, you must know that they will sometimes fail. That lack of preparation, lack of something to fall back on, makes people wonder if you are capable of making the correct decisions in other instances. It calls Your Ladyship's judgment into question, and makes everyone wonder if these so-called insurgents might not have a point in opposing you.

Having served gods and kings for more than a lifetime, Zeno wishes for Your Ladyship's continued prosperity and is relieved to hear of your safety. Zeno would like to see Your Ladyship be a queen worthy to serve, but as it stands, there is not enough information available to me to make that judgment, and what is available paints Your Ladyship as a pleasant person, but a weak leader.

[godsoffortune]

I am fully aware that I can never be fully safe. My concern is mostly for those who are under my protection, my shinki and all of you among them.

I can see how my inexperience and obvious shortcomings could make people question whether I am a worthy leader. I had not thought of how I might come across in that respect. I will have to think more carefully about how to keep everything under control.

For your blunt honesty, I thank you. There is much that I still need to learn about my role and I am very displeased with myself for waiting so long to start calling my position into question. I hope that you will continue to keep me informed on my worthiness as a sovereign.

[eternalshield]

It is Your Ladyship's misfortune that Zeno was blessed to serve the strange god who wished to experience humanity and loved the adviser who told him of his faults.

[And didn't mind being called an idiot or senile or having his senses called into question...]

The greatest compliment Zeno can pay is to find similarities between that god, who preferred the title of an earthly king, and another, and Your Ladyship's concern for all, and not just her own, is encouraging to me. From those you come into contact with, Zeno hears only good. People want you to succeed, so you surely must, if only you will let them help. Zeno has much experience as a listener to the gods and in politics and statecraft, and where Zeno judges appropriate, Zeno is happy to be called upon.

Just don't tell anybody Zeno told you so!

[godsoffortune]

Zeno.

I would normally call you by your god name, Hebe, but I have learned recently that many of the new gods prefer to be seen as human and I wish to respect that as much as I can, so...

Zeno. Thank you. Your faith and your words are comforts to me and give me a sort of strength that I did not know I had.

I hope I can live up to your expectations - and the expectations of everyone else as well.

I will gladly take you up on your offer whenever I need an ear. You have already helped me so much just with these few messages.

Thank you.

[eternalshield]

Zeno hasn't felt human in so long, Your Ladyship, that it's just as well, but...

[He pauses in writing, surprised by how affected he is by this message. Seeing his name so starkly there at the beginning, and she was just trying to honor the other new gods' requests... she could not possibly have realized just how much hearing his name instead of his title meant to him.

His first loyalty will always be to Yona, and he will always love Kaya best of all, but... well, he really, really wants to see Amaterasu prove her naysayers wrong.]

Zeno has straddled the divide between humans and gods for more than two thousand years now, and truly, I understand neither. :) Just being willing to listen is the thing a peasant hopes for and despairs of most in a sovereign.

[godsoffortune]

I think I can understand what you're saying. It sounds like a very wearisome position to be in.

But you are a good person either way I think. And I am very grateful that you have taken the time to help me understand myself and my situation better.

Again. Thank you, Zeno. :)

[eternalshield]

Just don't forget to call if you need Zeno's perspective again.

[godsoffortune]

I won't! I'll put you in my speed dial! ;)