video.

[heralding]

[After speaking to Loki and a number of other individuals, Lightning resolves to make this commentary. Her experience with gods is lengthy, and what she's learning here in this world is that many are quick to dismiss them. While there were myths back home that people frequently ignored, it had never been the same. Myths included stories of the l'Cie, told to scare people when they would go to bed lest they might be turned into soldiers against their own world's gods. But that was different. Having lived alongside the fal'Cie all her life, she had accepted their involvement.

That this world dismisses gods, that the people from multiple worlds, can dismiss gods, strikes her as odd. To say the least.

There is much she can say on the matter. She only hopes that she covers all that matters.]

It has come to my attention that there are a number of people here who dismiss the presence of gods. Given the circumstances that we currently find ourselves in, I've chosen to share my experiences with you. I understand that many of you come from worlds where gods are uncommon or not present at all. Even in this world, gods are dismissed as myths ... or are a feature of religion, thought to be separate and distant. It's hard to believe in something you can't see. I don't blame you.

But my home world was one where gods worked alongside humans. Prior to my present, there was a war between worlds, between Gran Pulse and Cocoon. The gods pit these two powers against one another, hoping that they would destroy existence in order to bring forth a certain being for their own goals. Gran Pulse was wiped out as a result of this war, each and every person who lived there vanishing into thin air as a result of the apparent decimation. Cocoon, my home, prospered alongside the gods, the fal'Cie. They provided goods, electricity, and everything else we needed. For so long, we lived under their whims and according to what they wanted, not realizing that we were all up to eventually be thrown away when they grew tired or disgusted with us. We were their puppets, and we had to learn how to do things differently. That was a journey that we all went on from the beginning to the end, until we finally defeated god after god so that people's memories and experiences would be remembered.

That is not to say that you should all share the same experiences, but there is good reason to believe that we are experiencing that here. There is proof left and right. I worry about what this god ... these gods—[the emphasis itself is said rather forcefully]—have in store for us in the long term. But dismissing them, pretending that it's not a concern ... that's the last thing we should be doing. Treating it like "superstition," treating it like there's a more immediate concern at hand ... is unwise. They are one and the same.

I do not know if this government is unwittingly playing to gods' whims. I can't say that for myself, but I've been asked many times what I'm prepared to do. If they are, we can help them unchain themselves. What I know is that gods shouldn't play with our lives, and we should be prepared to act to stop that

[There's a pause here, where she sighs and glances away in the video.

There's a huff of breath before she presses on:]

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Everything I know about these present gods I have learned from others, but I am more free to share my own experiences.

Comments

text

[deathline]

Sounds like you had one hell of a time in your world.

Still, whether it's gods or just humans, at least in the end, both can be killed.

[Yup, still keeping up the texting. Better than having to deal with talking.]

text.

[heralding]

That's not untrue, but the problem is making sure this world can sustain itself afterward.

The first time I took down a god, I didn't think of the consequences.

video

[valr]

Why the fuck do you think we should stop them?

[Like ok sure being kidnapped is annoying but

gods know best]

video

[heralding]

Because even gods with the best interests of people at heart don't always act correctly. They should remain uninvolved, and in my experience, their lack of involvement is only a lie.

[closetshark]

I'm not entirely sure whether you're trying to be offensive or not.

[This may or may not be something of a personal thing with him here Lightning.]

Spirits, gods, beings, however you wish to categorize us, we have our roles to play in existence. We influence things, direct humanity and everything else in to motion. Though your fal'Cie overstepped their bounds, coddling you as blatantly as they apparently did.

[heralding]

Did you not listen to a word I said?

[There's a huff of breath.]

I've served with multiple gods. I was their personal warrior. I didn't mention this, but they should have known better than to choose me, and all these times, it was a mistake.

People were nothing more than pawns to them.

Humanity can direct itself just fine.

Video

[fantasykiller]

[Congratulations! Touma is now convinced that Lightning is a Terrifying God-Slaying Machine.]

You must be ridiculously powerful to able to defeat multiple Gods. I've challenged a God before and not a single fight with her ended in my victory. One God is troublesome enough. I can't imagine the chaos that would ensue from having to fight multiple ones.

[He has an innumerable amount of experience with suffering at the hands of a God and knows that even surviving one is a difficulty in itself. Especially if these fal'Cie are anywhere near as powerful as Othinus.]

Video

[heralding]

[To be fair, that's not exactly inaccurate ...]

Chaos, huh ... [She knows he doesn't mean the chaos she's experienced with, but she can't help but make an amused sound about it.

Oh, there was chaos all right.]

It was bad, but I had some help from some friends and family. I didn't do it alone.

[ancillary]

There was recent discovery made from my time of a sort of aquatic apex species that were capable of thralling land-dwelling species throughout the Milky Way galaxy and offering them protection in return for services. Of course they were revered as gods.

[ Dr. Science McOffensive-Killjoy ]

The world you come from fascinates me. You said you'd be open to questions?

[heralding]

None of the gods I knew were very good at protecting anyone. That was kind of the problem.

[Even Etro's efforts were ultimately ones that harmed many ... and especially the girl Yeul.]

And feel free to ask.

video;

[sacrificusdux]

I agree that we should not let ourselves be controlled or become dependent on the gods and their will, for whatever part they may have to play here.

I have seen a troubling, if not very dangerous, trend of those willing to give their fates up to the hands of the gods with such blind faith.

video;

[heralding]

As I've mentioned to you before, it's difficult to see the problem in these things until it's immediately apparent. I was born into a world like that. I had no reason to believe anything different. What I did not mention was that I hoped to live to protect my sister. Thinking of a world without the fal'Cie seemed impossible ... and impractical. I only hoped for the best scenario for her. I would not be surprised if your not very dangerous situation was familiar.

[There's a pause.]

The difference here is that we are well aware that this situation is dangerous. They made the mistake of showing us that video. People have died for their cause, and I'm unwilling to allow many more to die for whatever war they have decided is just. If a god is involved, then all the more reason to put a stop to it. If the god wants us here, that says enough.

AUDIO.

[selfimage]

Ah--here we go. Trying to ward off that inevitable "bad end" that some around here have already been subject to.

Dimensional hopping is a hit or miss, and depending on the state Lachesis is suspended in ... well, fate is bad enough, but blind fate is nothing we'd want to be bound to.

[ it gives him a sour taste in his mouth. Those Who Sit Above were bad enough, and the outcome of himself that he found himself fighting against, and now the strings of fate? ugh. ]

AUDIO.

[heralding]

I've fought for too long for people to be bound to some kind of fate ... any kind of fate.

text.

[immigrantpunk]

ok so confession i've watched your video like four times and i still don't understand it, maybe if i smoked some weed first but i don't have any

you lose me around cocoons and falcons

*falcie sorry

i get what youre trying to say is important but i think my world is so different from yours i can't follow it at all. are you arguing for or against faith in god(s), i can't tell

text.

[heralding]

We need to believe in that they exist. That's the first step.

video;

[larker]

[After he's finished facepalming himself into oblivion....Gabriel isn't sure if he ought to look amused or horrified, settling for an odd rendition of both.]

Don't go tarring everything with your own brush. So your Gods were dicks, good for you. But what you've just come out with is almost offensive, I mean seriously my feathers are almost rustled here. First of all your Gods? Your Gods sucked major balls if they could be taken down that way. Secondly? You should have checked that bias at the door, because if you'd looked around here you would have seen the local clergy and what they follow. But noooo, let's go lead everyone to fighting a God, or Gods, that you have zero idea about.

Not all Gods "play" with your short little lives. Some Gods will actually have the best interests at heart and you know what, screw this. It's not going to go anywhere no matter how much you shout for it. You know why? Because no-one here believes in Gods, they're not going to follow you on some religious crusade to overthrow the highest of deities here.

So. My question is this. What are you going to do when you get everyone killed because you got it wrong?

video;

[heralding]

I haven't got it wrong. The people who have been dragged in by the porter in multiple worlds have been messed with by gods. The same god, by the same name.

[There's a pause.]

The previous world ended up destroyed.

Wanna make a bet about what's going to happen to this one?

From my perspective, these gods are bad news. I'm not seeing anything different.

voice; threadjaaack

[dissemble]

Come on, Gabriel. Don't rain all over her parade.

[To anyone except Gabriel, Lucifer will sound chiding.

To Gabriel, Lucifer sounds fairly amused.]

video;

[selfimage]

No one wants an omniversal "bad end," do they? Where's your passion for new beginnings?

[Video]

[celestialpervert]

[This fellow looks more than a little amused.]

Oh honey... You have no idea do you?

First of all thank you for marking all divine beings as one and the same. Because it isn't as if they're as varied all the colours of the world are they?

Second, kudos for making assumptions and giving me a laugh.

And thirdly, if you can't find these gods, who are you gonna take your pet peeve out on instead, hmm?

[Video]

[heralding]

And let me guess: you consider yourself a divine being, don't you?

You've just proved everything I said, if that's the case.

audio

[mercyisweakness]

We have many gods back home, and each had a role to play in creating the world that my kind and many others live.

I do not think this government is playing into my gods' whims. Certainly not Takhisis' whim.

audio

[heralding]

And I have no reason to believe any version of my gods are here.

[Which she means to say: that's not what she was getting at at all.]

[symbionic]

Wait, I think I'm missing something here. You think the gods are behind this?

[Thinking: Thor. Valkyrie. And thinking: no way.]

[heralding]

A specific set of gods.