02 | Video

[halfblaked]

As a professor, whenever a holiday comes, it's always an opportunity for learning, and today happens to not be an exception, despite the personal nature of the holiday.

I suspect there are not many who celebrate such things, but perhaps it is a nice time to speak of them, considering it's father's day. I'm reflecting on fathers of myth, of course, not real ones -- but, ah, if you need someone to listen, I am, of course, here to listen.

There are, unfortunately, not a terribly high amount of good fathers in mythology, at least from my world. Sometimes, if you think of yourself as a poor parent, you can at least remember that you are no Zeus, or Hiranyakashipu. One was merely...devoted to sowing his progeny around Greece, as we all know, but Hiranyakashipu attempted multiple times to murder his son, because he worshipped a god he hated. [ A soft chuckle, and a shake of his head. ] I worried about moving too much, with mine! I suppose things could be worse. Then again, there is also Cronus, the god who ate his sons, [ he starts ticking on his fingers, ] Tantalus, Izanagi, Abraham...

Well, we're not short on those, are we? [ A soft chuckle, and a shake of his head. ]

I suppose there's something to be said, when we consider ourselves bad parents, yes? Not that we should ever excuse ourselves. [ A beat. ] I suppose I'm just...thoughtful, today. Moreso than I thought I would be. [ Another pause. ]

Are there others out there, who are thinking of things like this today?

Comments

[halfblaked]

That's...fair. I'm sure our local Lucifer would have many similar things to say. I will admit, I often...avoid including such stories in mythologies.
People tend to get...emotionally invested.

But that is an accurate assessment of the early myths.

[fettering]

i lived with lucifer back home, so he's the one i learned from originally
but yeah i've learned that people can get kind of scary about what they think christianity is

[halfblaked]

It's true, it's true.

Even in a world like mine, where...gods and goddesses walk among us -- we can still find many Christians who still believe. It's not quite like this world, but they can be just as fervent. Particularly since Lucifer is reborn so frequently.

[fettering]

personally, i think seeing crucifixes so often is kind of morbid and creepy

it's sort of weird thinking of lu being reborn in a human body so often
does it ever happen to the other angels?

[halfblaked]

Not any in particular. Lucifer is their own, unique case. There are many other gods and goddesses that find themselves reborn in my world more frequently.

Not even the son of man often gets such an honor.

[fettering]

[ .. wait. ]

you mean jesus?? he gets reborn too?

[halfblaked]

There are...theories.

Many, many theories. Many of our pantheons have some members that could-or-could-not-be one god or another, depending on how long they were around, and what they did.

[fettering]

that's a lot to take in
though idk why, it shouldn't be that different from any other god being reborn
except bc lu has been waiting so long for yehoshua at home

[halfblaked]

Oh?

How long has that been? Why has he been waiting for him for so long.

[fettering]

since he was killed, and because lu was in love with him

[halfblaked]

Mm, in your world, does three days in the desert mean something else?

[fettering]

idk i've never asked him
pretty sure he wouldn't tell me anyway, it's already weird enough for him that i am what i am

[halfblaked]

Oh? In what way?

[fettering]

well, with me being yehoshua's clone, and lu having basically raised me

[halfblaked]

Ah.

I see.

That is awkward, you are correct. Does that make you the son of man, proper?

[fettering]

[ huh. ] i guess in a weird way
i'm still just a copy of the real one tho

[halfblaked]

That doesn't make you less valid, does it? To be him? I mean, you're him, it sounds like.

Or does the powers that be disagree?

[fettering]

i'm him, but i'm not
i'm damaged, and i don't have his memories

[halfblaked]

I don't know if I would say that is damaged.

In my world, gods and goddesses recur every ninety years, and not all remember the people they were in the past. You could hardly be expected to do so either.

[fettering]

that's not exactly what i meant, but that's nice of you to say
honestly, it's been great seeing other people around that are kind of like me

[ kind of. being one of the pantheon is pretty different from being a direct clone, but.. it's close enough. closer than anything he's ever had before, anyway. ]

how did it start, anyway? and why??

[halfblaked]

I apologize, if I didn't quite get it.

[ A pause, though. This is where David excels, after all. ]

It's complicated, how it started. We know very little of that time, although estimates put it at about six-thousand years ago. We only know that it has always happened, although there have been "lost" Pantheons that never made it to record, it's suspected that they all existed, in one form or fashion. The reason is...I suspect because of the great darkness. The gods must exist in each time to stop the great darkness from manifesting, and putting an end to all of mankind.

[fettering]

it's not your fault! i'm deaf, so the people that made me would have replaced me with a corrected version if they'd had the time

what's the great darkness?? how is it that it keeps coming back?

[halfblaked]

Is that what you meant by damage? Who said such a cruel thing?

[ Says David Blake. ]

Ah, your question, however, is a very good one.
I wish I knew. We've been...studying it, back home. I've been fortunate enough to work with some members of the pantheon to illuminate ourselves on the nature of it, but... I arrived even before I could analyze the data Cassandra brought me.

[fettering]

it's not really cruel when you're trying for a perfect copy

but the gods always manage to beat it back? [ sounds like something meant to inspire people, maybe? like what the pantheon already does. ]

[halfblaked]

Yes, they always do. Or rather: there's no recorded history where they do not.

We don't know what will happen if it isn't stopped, and hopefully...we will never find out.
I'm certainly not keen on it.