Great post, CatKnight; if that doesn't motivate Tom to get off his butt and win, nothing will. Very interesting conversation with Anne, as well.
Vann
Vann
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Dead William: You're right: Anne probably shouldn't have bothered. The problem is the uniform. Unfortunately she couldn't remove it without damaging him far more.
J. Passepartout: We'll find out how Burgoyne takes his new guest. As for Jessie...well, that gets dealt with right now.
Draco Rexus: What does the Colonial Office want? Well...it's kinda simple: Crippled enemy general shows up. They wanna know why!
jwolf: Tom does have a mess on his hands. The 160 year diference doesn't really signify...not for him.
Storey: I know, Draco can be surprising!
coz1: I think you're right. I hope so.
Vann the Red: Thanks on both counts! Let's see what happens next
------------------
ALL:
This will probably be my last post for a little bit. I'm about to move across country (Connecticut to Oregon....about 2,500 miles). I'll check in again once I'm settled.
J. Passepartout: We'll find out how Burgoyne takes his new guest. As for Jessie...well, that gets dealt with right now.
Draco Rexus: What does the Colonial Office want? Well...it's kinda simple: Crippled enemy general shows up. They wanna know why!
jwolf: Tom does have a mess on his hands. The 160 year diference doesn't really signify...not for him.
Storey: I know, Draco can be surprising!
coz1: I think you're right. I hope so.
Vann the Red: Thanks on both counts! Let's see what happens next
------------------
ALL:
This will probably be my last post for a little bit. I'm about to move across country (Connecticut to Oregon....about 2,500 miles). I'll check in again once I'm settled.
-= 144 =-
April 1784
Georgia
"Jessie," he whispered. "Oh, Jessie."
Anne Whiting looked up from her knitting and bit her lip. She stood, dipped a towel in the nearby basin and gently dabbed at the writhing figure's hand: His face and chest were covered in bandages. He'd been like this since the initial surgery, passing through an agonized delirium where only one person, one name offered any comfort whatsoever.
"I'm here, Thomas." She sat by his side, gripping his relatively undamaged arms. "I'm not leaving."
"Jess..."
Anne had long since forgiven this indiscretion, this woman from a shadowy past she did not know and could never understand. One didn't always get to choose who they loved, and she knew better than to compete with the idealized remains of some ghost from his youth. Plus, what right did she have to complain? The night before the Cherokee campaign, when she'd taken him to bed, she almost invoked her dead husband's name. No, no right to complain.
It still hurt though, and made her want to wring his neck... except in the present balance it would probably kill him. It was only providence that had her pass by Mr. Rutledge's house when it exploded, curious how Tom was faring. Providence that allowed her to find his broken body so quickly, and to this day she had no memory how she'd pulled a twelve stone (195 lb, 88 kg.) into her cart at all, let alone without killing him. She dared not ask fate for more favors.
"You must try to rest," she told him, trying to break through whatever pain he must be in. "Thoma..."
He screamed. A shocking noise in the still night air, like a damned soul who's only just realized their last hope for salvation has passed. His back arched, bent so far she thought it must certainly break under the strain. Then he collapsed.
"Thomas! Thomas! Nurse! Porter!" Whiting ran from the room.
----------------------
Tom stepped away from Jessie and stared down hill. The field seemed to go on forever, finally ending at a fog bank from which lightning occasionally flashed. "Not marrying you was the greatest mistake I've ever made."
"I waited," she sighed. "I waited and waited. I knew you wanted to wait until the war was over, and I knew it had to end eventually."
"Then we just ran out of time." Tom turned. She was sitting by the grave, hugging her knees. "I'm so sorry."
"Is that why you came?" she asked, tilting her head. "To apologize?"
"I didn't choose to come!" Tom took a step towards her. "I...Maybe I came to be with you."
"You can't stay, Tommy." She shook her head and lowered her chin to her knees.
"Why not? What's the alternative? A world I don't even want?"
"If you stay, then this is our last time together." She hugged her knees tighter.
Tom's jaw slackened. He dropped to his knees. "You're cruel," he whispered.
Tears sprang into her eyes and she shook her head. "Don't you think I want to be with you? Tommy!" She scrambled to her feet and knelt in front of him. "Don't you understand? If you stay, then he..."
"To hell with him, Jessie! All I want is you!"
She slapped him. He crumpled, sobbing. Jessie pulled him close, speaking rapidly. "If you stay, then he will twist America into something horrible. Your friends, Tommy! And by the time we are born again, he'll have the world. But that's not enough, he doesn't want to conquer it, Tommy!"
"He wants to kill it."
She sat back on her heels and nodded.
"But it's already too late, isn't it? You said it yourself. I 'broke' the timeline. What we shared is already gone."
She lowered her gaze.
"So what does it matter?"
"You have people who care for you now Tommy. I know about Mrs. Whiting!"
He blushed. "What do you know?"
"I know she loves you, and you love her! Don't make the same mistake again! Isn't she worth fighting for?"
"Fight!?" Tom laughed, almost hysterical and leapt to his feet. He stepped away, waving his arms at the mist. "How can I fight him? All I have is a name: Black. I don't know if he's a demon or a god or a..."
"He's an angel."
He dropped his arms. "A devil maybe," he sneered.
"No, Tommy. He's an angel."
He turned slowly and arched his eyebrow. "He can't be. He's evil. Why are you shaking your head?"
"Remember Mrs. McKendrick? The one who liked to tie cats in a sack and throw them in the river until the constables stopped her? Or how about what the Germans did to my brother at Dunkirk? We've seen worse, Tommy. It doesn't take power to be cruel."
"I can't believe you're defending him!"
"I'm not!" She stepped up to him again. "I'm making a point: An important one. There are no devils, Tommy! There are angels who we agree with morally, and those we think are wrong. It's the same with people. This isn't about good and evil. It never was!"
"Then what is it about?" Tom demanded.
She rested her hands on his chest and met his incredulous gaze. "Us versus them."
Tom rubbed his head. "I don't understand."
She smiled coyly. "It's kind of complicated."
"And how do you know all this?"
"That's complicated too."
"Try me!"
"Don't be grouchy, Tommy!" She placed her fists on her hips and glowered. "I'm trying to help!"
"Fine." Tom sighed. "I'm sorry."
She studied him for a moment. "You're frustrated."
"Do you blame me?" he asked bitterly.
Jessie grinned. "You always were easy to confuse. Fine, what do you want to know?"
"How do you expect me to fight a...an angel, then?"
"Carefully?"
"Ha ha ha."
She frowned and tapped her foot. "You're being grouchy again. I'm quite serious. Carefully, but it can be done. He's afraid of you, you know."
"He is afraid of me?"
Jessie nodded. "Why do you think he hides as he does? If he was truly so powerful, why not just announce what he's doing and slaughter anyone who tries to stop him?"
"Why is he afraid of me?"
She grinned. "Why do you think? He doesn't want to die."
Tom gaped. Jess passed him and stared at the fog bank. It seemed much closer now. "You will have to choose soon," she said quietly.
He reached out and took her hand. "What is it?"
She shook her head, tears in her eyes.
"Tell me!"
"It's..." Jess shook her head again and backed away. "Listen, Tommy. There's no time." She inhaled.
"Jess..."
"Shush! Listen. Remember." She inhaled again, and closed her eyes. "In the beginning there was the Spirit, who we call God. He realized He was alone, so created the universe from the chaotic energy around Him for company. To help Him with this task he created guardians..the Angels..and taught them how to use this energy as well."
"But in time He felt alone again. The Angels deferred to Him of course, and the animals were... animals. He realized there were only two possible solutions: To find another Spirit as powerful as Him to treat Him as an equal, or to voluntarily limit His own power. He therefore made one last creation, and infused them with His spirit. The Holy Spirit."
"Humanity," Tom whispered.
"It was the answer God sought. He could interact with the other aspects of his spirit more or less equally, and He was pleased. At first his Angels played along, filling the roles of gods, demigods and heroes in a dozen cultures. Then the Jews realized there was one greater Spirit and worshipped Him. Monotheism destroyed the Angels' power, relegating them to 'helpers' or maybe saints. The Angels were angry. They were no longer His favorites. They felt abandoned. And so some rose up and tried to overthrow Him."
"The war between Heaven and Hell."
"They lost. One, however, wasn't at the final battle and instead chose to bide his time. He didn't want to overthrow God, he wanted to destroy humanity so God would have to pay attention to the Angels again. World War II suited his needs perfectly, and a little gratuitous revenge on the oldest monotheistic faith didn't hurt either."
"Are you saying Black is jealous?"
"Basically." The fog bank was very close now.
"Why go against the Indians then? They're not monotheistic!"
"No, but the Cherokee have legends that more accurately describe his role and connection with the Spirit. Such knowledge is dangerous...for him."
"Even if this is all true, I can't fight all these Angels!"
"You don't have to. Most are neutral. One or two are trying to help."
"Then why don't they get off their rumps and be a little more direct about it?" Tom demanded.
"They don't want to die either." The fog bank crackled menacingly. Jess stared. "Tommy, the reason I could talk to you this long is because we're human." The wind picked up, whistling through the air. "Don't you see? We carry part of the Spirit. We..our souls cannot die! Our bodies are just shells, creations of chaotic energy shaped into matter." The wind howled. "Our souls return to God. We're immortal!"
He couldn't make out her next words through the roar of thunder, but he could read her lips.
"Angels are not."
The howling storm of pure entropy, the universe's effort to correct two contradictory timelines that couldn't both exist, slammed into them. The fierce wind ripped apart his grip on her hand in an instant, and Jess was flying, flying but unafraid. She looked down at him until she was little more than a blur in the icy cold fog. He screamed her name, but his voice was lost on the howling wind. A lightning strike flashed in his face and the air bellowed its rage.
---------------------------------
Thomas Heyward stood at the end of a long hall lit in blue lights. In his hand he clasped a bent, battered coin. He had no idea how it got there, and in truth it didn't matter. She was still out there....somewhere, with God perhaps. He wasn't alone.
And truth be told, he never had been alone.
Choose, a voice whispered.
---------------------------------
"Anne?"
Dawn. A cold dawn, despite it being the latter half of April. Sunlight poked through the window, shining on a prone, bandaged figure in bed and one slumped on a chair by its side. It took some effort, but he managed to shift his arm under hers. "Anne?"
She awoke instantly and peered into his face. "Thomas!" She gasped. "Oh my God, Thomas!" Anne stood and started to hug him, then remembered herself when he cried out. "They told me...Never mind what they told me." She composed herself. "How do you feel, General Heyward?"
"I've had better days."
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "I have much to tell you, but..."
"Me too. Anne..."
"Rest now. I will call for a nurse. You're in a hospital. You're safe."
"Anne!"
"What is it, Thomas?"
"Marry me."
"What!?" She stood and stared at his broken body incredulously. "Thomas! This is hardly the time!"
"There may never be a better."
Nice work Cat. I've been reading along some and in and out, but that's a very good job of not overwriting the issue of the timeline and just letting it be. And, as a Christian, I like the way you've written the spiritual part, but have not overdrawn it to one faith or another. I can read it for what I wish; I suppose others can as well from their own perspectives.
I guess now it comes to whether he can figure out how to actually hurt an angel.
Have a safe move.
I guess now it comes to whether he can figure out how to actually hurt an angel.
Have a safe move.
So Black is basically a devil, one of the fallen angels with Satan?
Hmmm
This remidns me of one of Mark Twain's stories about the angel Satan who visited some children. He was named after his uncle...
Hmmm
This remidns me of one of Mark Twain's stories about the angel Satan who visited some children. He was named after his uncle...
Excellent post, CatKnight. It is hard, I think, to deal with matters both supernatural and spiritual without devolving into either cliche or offense. Well done.
I hope that your move is safe and not as inconvenient as most.
Vann
I hope that your move is safe and not as inconvenient as most.
Vann
Very interesting. Damn, it's more than that, it's bloody well fantastic!
I do believe that we are about to see Tommy-boy begin to really take charge of the situation. He's not gonna be strong for awhile, but I do believe he's going to change roles and no longer reacting to Black, but forcing Black to react to Tom's moves. This should play out in most interesting ways.
Cat, take care on your move (that's a hell of a jump, not only physically but also socially, there's a big difference between East Coast and West Coast! ), and enjoy the journey. We'll be here when you get back.
I do believe that we are about to see Tommy-boy begin to really take charge of the situation. He's not gonna be strong for awhile, but I do believe he's going to change roles and no longer reacting to Black, but forcing Black to react to Tom's moves. This should play out in most interesting ways.
Cat, take care on your move (that's a hell of a jump, not only physically but also socially, there's a big difference between East Coast and West Coast!
), and enjoy the journey. We'll be here when you get back.
Well this really puts things into perspective. Thomas will now, one assumes, try to use this new knowledge he has, and perhaps feel even stronger for knowing. This, in turn, my create more of a weakness in Black.
My question is - who are the other angels trying to help? I imagine we'll find out, and they could probably be guessed at with some work. But I'd rather be surprised. Great stuff, once again, CatKnight.
And good luck with the move and all. That's quite a ways. Hope you brought your raincoat. So what's the occasion?
And now it is time for Joe to give you his "Lessons Learned from Living in the Pacific Northwest" speech, adapted from his best-seller - How the Hell Did I Get Here, and Why Won't It Stop Raining? (Or: Just Do What She Who Will Not Be Denied Says, And It Will All Be Fine)
My question is - who are the other angels trying to help? I imagine we'll find out, and they could probably be guessed at with some work. But I'd rather be surprised. Great stuff, once again, CatKnight.
And good luck with the move and all. That's quite a ways. Hope you brought your raincoat.
So what's the occasion?And now it is time for Joe to give you his "Lessons Learned from Living in the Pacific Northwest" speech, adapted from his best-seller - How the Hell Did I Get Here, and Why Won't It Stop Raining? (Or: Just Do What She Who Will Not Be Denied Says, And It Will All Be Fine)
Dear me, a fallen angel who survived the first fianl battle. Michael and his flaming sword should be showing up fairly soon... Hmmm> I will have to read up on Cherokee legends, Been awhile too...
Great update! DW
Great update! DW
Great update. I like how you've done the supernatural stuff. Hopefully this knowledge will give Heyward the edge he needs to put Black on the defensive.
Good couple of updates. Heyward's meeting with Jesse (whether real or dream) served as a great way to explain where Black is coming from and it neatly helped sew up Thomas' transhistorical love triangle.
I liked your explanation of Black as an angel with a grudge. And it's interesting to learn he's not immortal. But surely, to really kill him must be terribly difficult. However, the more we learn, the less fearsome he appears.
Now Tom only needs to find a way to A) evade notice and the unwelcome attentions of Jasen Exeter (I think you need to give Thomas a guardian angel with the name of Frederick, so that we can have a lame 'Freddy versus Jasen' joke); B) undo Black's political stranglehold on the Carolinas (including the dismantling of the Home Guard or whatever his SA-style militia is called); C) help heal the United States and reconcile it with Britain; and D) kick Black's posterior into oblivion. Easy!
Good luck with your cross-country move, hope you'll be back to this soon.
I liked your explanation of Black as an angel with a grudge. And it's interesting to learn he's not immortal. But surely, to really kill him must be terribly difficult. However, the more we learn, the less fearsome he appears.
Now Tom only needs to find a way to A) evade notice and the unwelcome attentions of Jasen Exeter (I think you need to give Thomas a guardian angel with the name of Frederick, so that we can have a lame 'Freddy versus Jasen' joke); B) undo Black's political stranglehold on the Carolinas (including the dismantling of the Home Guard or whatever his SA-style militia is called); C) help heal the United States and reconcile it with Britain; and D) kick Black's posterior into oblivion. Easy!
Good luck with your cross-country move, hope you'll be back to this soon.
Your last update was very powerful and very imaginative. I have to admit you made a lot more sense out of everything than I thought you could! The news from Jessie will surely help Thomas, even if only in morale, but it would be nice for him to get some more high powered support, if you follow my meaning.
Now I want to see more of Anne's reaction to his marriage proposal.
The news from Jessie will surely help Thomas, even if only in morale, but it would be nice for him to get some more high powered support, if you follow my meaning.Now I want to see more of Anne's reaction to his marriage proposal.
Wow, you did it. You came up with an explanation for what’s going on that works! I didn’t know how you were going to pull it off but I like the way you did it. So humans are immortal and angles aren’t. If I were Mr. Black I’d be very eager/nervous to find Tom and remove him from the picture. I’d be interested to know if you drew on a specific religion for that interpretation of creation and the role of angles in it. As for your move, welcome to the West Coast! Where are you moving to in Oregon?
Joe
Joe
General Notes:
This isn't an update, though I did want to check in. My computer is about to go into boxes, so the next you hear from me will be in Storey-land.
I am glad I (hopefully) didn't offend anyone with the cosmology/theology discussion last post. Religion's of course a touchy topic. I felt I needed to go into it though if we were ever going to understand Black....or realize that yes, Tom's got his work cut out for him, but he still has a chance... and we don't need an angelic champion to take over for him.
carlec: Thanks, I appreciate it. I wanted to keep it general enough so that people could read what they wanted into it without trying to suggest "this faith is right for this AAR, everyone else need not apply."
J. Passepartout: Jessie would disagree with your terminology....but effectively yes.
Vann the Red: Well, I hope the move's safe. Inconvenient may be unavoidable, but we'll see!
Draco Rexus: Yes! That was one of the reasons I went ahead with the explanation. Now Tom knows exactly what the score is. Yes, he's still outgunned....but now he can take back the initiative. As Storey says, Black's getting more and more desperate, and desperate folk make mistakes.
fj44: Thanks!
coz1: Most of the angels are neutral. They don't want to get involved. If we were to ask, they might agree Black's pushing it...but it's not like he's attacking THEM. Plus, since the angels have an inherent weakness (they're not immortal) they have no wish to risk their necks.
There is at least one who's helping Tom. I don't know who, I don't know if he/she will ever take a more active role, and it might even be God .... but somoene pulled Tom back in time, Tom's been incredibly lucky even if it doesn't always seem that way, and we still haven't established who or what trashed Rutledge's house.
As for the move: Well, Connecticut's economy is..bluntly...unhappy and if I stay I don't think I'll ever be more than I am right now - which financially isn't worth talking about, not to mention we all have dreams. Oregon is growing rapidly and I'm always up for a fresh start. I have a bit of wanderlust in me.... for good or bad. We'll see how it goes!
Dead William: Don't bother reading up on the Cherokee legends - that was an extra to explain Black's pushing that campaign. I know a little about Native spirit worship - or at least what they let us pale skinned barbarians see - so I know there's room for an unpleasant critter like Black.
As for Michael....eh. I doubt it. Tom's our hero, with a nod to Preston if he ever finishes being a jerk and gets on with it. Bringing what amounts to a superhero in would just destroy their roles. Tom has his work cut out for him...Stuyvesant listed the problems pretty nicely....but I think he has a shot. And there's that old lark about your worth being measured by the quality of your enemies.
The flaming sword on the other hand....hmm...
Fiftypence: That's the plan! I hope you're right!
Stuyvesant: The love triangle is ...kinda... settled. Tom started healing when he 'buried' Jess in Charleston. Now he's basically forgiven for his perceived failure of holding back, and told to get on with his life. I think now that he's focused on the present, and the present happens to be 1784, he'll be okay once..as Draco says...he regains some strength.
jwolf: I am glad it made sense. It seems to have surprised you and Storey. Frankly it surprised me a little too. That post took awhile to write as new ideas came and I edited them in. As for high powered support...again, I'm against bringing in a direct superpower. Though we'll see what we can do. Maybe another airstrike or two :g:
Storey: Oh, Black is manic about Tom now. He's goofed badly and he knows it. Even before Jess 'stepped in' (high powered support?) Tom knew too much for Black to let him go. Now he's out there somewhere, who knows what he knows, and if he puts enough pieces together he can be a serious threat. Most of us humans fear death....imagine how the possibility must feel to someone who's been around for millennia, without even the comfort of heaven or reincarnation.
Re- Oregon: Bend, which I guess is just past the east side of the Cascades.
Religion....hmm. Well, I'm a Protestant by 'training' though I don't think that really applied. The similarities to Judeo-Christian theology (the Holy Spirit, the war between Heaven and Hell) were coincidental, though affirming in that I could use them as solid bases and build from there. The pieces started coming together a few weeks ago...and I think it was jwolf I spoke to when I said "Black's still not THE devil..but he might be A devil now. His explanation is too close."
The core comes from lyrics in a song: "Devoid of all the passion, the human spirit can not die." I thought that was a very hopeful sentiment, and of course the major faiths agree. So if we cannot die....then we're far more powerful than we people think. Which gives Heyward a chance.
Building around that, I knew by this point Black wanted to destroy the world. Why? Being 'The' Devil is cliche, and anyway then he'd be trying to conquer it or get everyone to hell. Plus, Tom's good, but stopping 'The' Devil is probably out. Still, we know he's powerful...so he's a demon. No, cliche: A fallen angel. Still cliche: Just an angel. Rip out the good/evil paradigm and set up a grudge....but why would the angels be so mad, and as Tom says: He can't fight them all.
Then I remembered a story I wrote a few years ago. Talking about why the universe just doesn't make sense sometimes, one of the character says "(The universe is) hilarious, because it's ten billion years old and WE are the final generation of its plan. You would think the universe could do better. Perhaps its still learning too?"
But if God's omniscient and omnipotent, what does He have to learn? Nothing....unless he's voluntarily 'holding back.' More than one faith believes God is at least partially within our souls. But why would He bother? Well... if there is one God, or Great Spirit if you prefer the Indian explanation, then who is His equal? No one. If we humans are truly created in His image, then why should he not at least understand our emotions? He wanted companionship.
So now we have God and his 'special' choice companions who he's invested with His spirit, which is a nice explanation for our purported immortality (and also pointed at in religions.) Sounds like our angels are being left out in the cold. Which means God can't be doing the same thing (investing them with His spirit.) Which means they can't be immortal. Which explains why they're afraid of an overt war against or for Black (more cliche), and why they don't just take over the world if they feel this strongly about their treatment.
So to answer your question Storey...mostly brainstorming and cause/effect. I don't believe everything I wrote in that post .... though I believe in enough of it to keep me from random religious debates
This isn't an update, though I did want to check in. My computer is about to go into boxes, so the next you hear from me will be in Storey-land.
I am glad I (hopefully) didn't offend anyone with the cosmology/theology discussion last post. Religion's of course a touchy topic. I felt I needed to go into it though if we were ever going to understand Black....or realize that yes, Tom's got his work cut out for him, but he still has a chance... and we don't need an angelic champion to take over for him.
carlec: Thanks, I appreciate it. I wanted to keep it general enough so that people could read what they wanted into it without trying to suggest "this faith is right for this AAR, everyone else need not apply."
J. Passepartout: Jessie would disagree with your terminology....but effectively yes.
Vann the Red: Well, I hope the move's safe. Inconvenient may be unavoidable, but we'll see!
Draco Rexus: Yes! That was one of the reasons I went ahead with the explanation. Now Tom knows exactly what the score is. Yes, he's still outgunned....but now he can take back the initiative. As Storey says, Black's getting more and more desperate, and desperate folk make mistakes.
fj44: Thanks!
coz1: Most of the angels are neutral. They don't want to get involved. If we were to ask, they might agree Black's pushing it...but it's not like he's attacking THEM. Plus, since the angels have an inherent weakness (they're not immortal) they have no wish to risk their necks.
There is at least one who's helping Tom. I don't know who, I don't know if he/she will ever take a more active role, and it might even be God .... but somoene pulled Tom back in time, Tom's been incredibly lucky even if it doesn't always seem that way, and we still haven't established who or what trashed Rutledge's house.
As for the move: Well, Connecticut's economy is..bluntly...unhappy and if I stay I don't think I'll ever be more than I am right now - which financially isn't worth talking about, not to mention we all have dreams. Oregon is growing rapidly and I'm always up for a fresh start. I have a bit of wanderlust in me.... for good or bad. We'll see how it goes!
Dead William: Don't bother reading up on the Cherokee legends - that was an extra to explain Black's pushing that campaign. I know a little about Native spirit worship - or at least what they let us pale skinned barbarians see - so I know there's room for an unpleasant critter like Black.
As for Michael....eh. I doubt it. Tom's our hero, with a nod to Preston if he ever finishes being a jerk and gets on with it. Bringing what amounts to a superhero in would just destroy their roles. Tom has his work cut out for him...Stuyvesant listed the problems pretty nicely....but I think he has a shot. And there's that old lark about your worth being measured by the quality of your enemies.
The flaming sword on the other hand....hmm...
Fiftypence: That's the plan! I hope you're right!
Stuyvesant: The love triangle is ...kinda... settled. Tom started healing when he 'buried' Jess in Charleston. Now he's basically forgiven for his perceived failure of holding back, and told to get on with his life. I think now that he's focused on the present, and the present happens to be 1784, he'll be okay once..as Draco says...he regains some strength.
jwolf: I am glad it made sense. It seems to have surprised you and Storey. Frankly it surprised me a little too. That post took awhile to write as new ideas came and I edited them in. As for high powered support...again, I'm against bringing in a direct superpower. Though we'll see what we can do. Maybe another airstrike or two :g:
Storey: Oh, Black is manic about Tom now. He's goofed badly and he knows it. Even before Jess 'stepped in' (high powered support?) Tom knew too much for Black to let him go. Now he's out there somewhere, who knows what he knows, and if he puts enough pieces together he can be a serious threat. Most of us humans fear death....imagine how the possibility must feel to someone who's been around for millennia, without even the comfort of heaven or reincarnation.
Re- Oregon: Bend, which I guess is just past the east side of the Cascades.
Religion....hmm. Well, I'm a Protestant by 'training' though I don't think that really applied. The similarities to Judeo-Christian theology (the Holy Spirit, the war between Heaven and Hell) were coincidental, though affirming in that I could use them as solid bases and build from there. The pieces started coming together a few weeks ago...and I think it was jwolf I spoke to when I said "Black's still not THE devil..but he might be A devil now. His explanation is too close."
The core comes from lyrics in a song: "Devoid of all the passion, the human spirit can not die." I thought that was a very hopeful sentiment, and of course the major faiths agree. So if we cannot die....then we're far more powerful than we people think. Which gives Heyward a chance.
Building around that, I knew by this point Black wanted to destroy the world. Why? Being 'The' Devil is cliche, and anyway then he'd be trying to conquer it or get everyone to hell. Plus, Tom's good, but stopping 'The' Devil is probably out. Still, we know he's powerful...so he's a demon. No, cliche: A fallen angel. Still cliche: Just an angel. Rip out the good/evil paradigm and set up a grudge....but why would the angels be so mad, and as Tom says: He can't fight them all.
Then I remembered a story I wrote a few years ago. Talking about why the universe just doesn't make sense sometimes, one of the character says "(The universe is) hilarious, because it's ten billion years old and WE are the final generation of its plan. You would think the universe could do better. Perhaps its still learning too?"
But if God's omniscient and omnipotent, what does He have to learn? Nothing....unless he's voluntarily 'holding back.' More than one faith believes God is at least partially within our souls. But why would He bother? Well... if there is one God, or Great Spirit if you prefer the Indian explanation, then who is His equal? No one. If we humans are truly created in His image, then why should he not at least understand our emotions? He wanted companionship.
So now we have God and his 'special' choice companions who he's invested with His spirit, which is a nice explanation for our purported immortality (and also pointed at in religions.) Sounds like our angels are being left out in the cold. Which means God can't be doing the same thing (investing them with His spirit.) Which means they can't be immortal. Which explains why they're afraid of an overt war against or for Black (more cliche), and why they don't just take over the world if they feel this strongly about their treatment.
So to answer your question Storey...mostly brainstorming and cause/effect. I don't believe everything I wrote in that post .... though I believe in enough of it to keep me from random religious debates
CatKnight said:
Lucky you. You're East if the mountains so you'll miss a lot of the rain we get here. I haven't been there for a dozen years but it is a beautiful area, Skying in the winter and a lot of out door activity the rest of the year.
Have a good trip.Joe
Storey said:Lucky you. You're East if the mountains so you'll miss a lot of the rain we get here. I haven't been there for a dozen years but it is a beautiful area, Skying in the winter and a lot of out door activity the rest of the year.
Joe
I dunno, I think I'd rather the mild weather and chance the rain. It snowed Saturday. In fact, the weather pattern reminds me a lot of Connecticut. Leave me alone! GAHHHH!!!!!
Okay, I feel better.
Greetings from Central Oregon, a spot of something faintly resembling civilization dominated by cow loving people in the middle of a vast wilderness. I just wanted to let y'all know I'm alive and I'll be posting (and reading!!) again soon.
Thanks for your patience and well wishes!
Excellent.
I have relatives in both Conneticut and Washington. There seem to be lots of fores fires and so forth in Washington.
I have relatives in both Conneticut and Washington. There seem to be lots of fores fires and so forth in Washington.
J. Passepartout said:
The latter no doubt being a direct result of the former....
COW LOVING PEOPLE? What in heck are those Oregonians doing. Well, at least they aren't head hunters led by a naked Red Guy...
I hope.
Glad the move went well.
DW
Glad to hear that you arrived safely. Hopefully, the same can be said for your belongings.
Vann
Vann