Video 4 - George's room

[toiletseat_girl]

[the video opens on George, sitting on the edge of her bed with her legs crossed. she looks curious, but also a little sheepish as what she's about to ask is . . . personal.

no, she's not asking for flirting advice again.

that was one time.

stop looking at her like that.

no, this time what she's asking is even weirder]

So, uh, I was kind of wondering. How many people here died before they came here? And how many are now immortal?

I was just. Wanting to know?

Comments

[toiletseat_girl]

It was my favorite, too.
Blue velvet. Hard to replace.
That would be useful.
Granted, I'm not expecting to get into anything too bloody here, but back home? Totally useful.

[abyssalarcana]

oh yes quite sad to lose a thing like that
and you must not have a tailor or seamstress to make you a new one?
what if you found someone supposed to die but told them youd keep them alive if they made you clothing forever

[toiletseat_girl]

That wouldn't work.
People are like milk.
Keep 'em past their due date and their souls spoil.

[abyssalarcana]

really??
even i learned something new about mortals if they work the same in my world as yours anyway
since i dont think we have reapers just essam and all its thousands of avatars i guess

[toiletseat_girl]

Yup. It's weird.
What's an essam?

[abyssalarcana]

the oldest of the gods of death
chasal and manat are also involved in some places i guess
another death god and a god of fate
but i dont really know how they all decide who lives who dies and when or maybe they dont
maybe its all a big sham

[toiletseat_girl]

Until I see proof of the afterlife?
I'm gonna assume most of it's just bells and whistles and bullshit.
Mostly bullshit.

[abyssalarcana]

where im from its real in the sense that when mortals die their souls go other places but i wouldnt call it afterlife
they do of course but theyre the only ones
for everyone else its just how things are

[toiletseat_girl]

Then where do they go?
Sounds like it would suck to be a mortal in your world.
You know, not knowing any better.

[abyssalarcana]

there is a lovely silver river named anahita that flows between the planes and the yugolothi boatmen take souls for payment to wherever essam marked them for
usually followers of gods go to the realms of those gods
people who lived well but who were not so devoted go to the ashen wastes
people who were corrupted by the devils go to join them in eternal torture
the ones who the rest refuse to claim are sent to the abyss
of course its not a perfect system because the anahita is greedy and some souls and boatmen are never seen again
and raiding the riverbanks and the wastes for free souls is always fun and often profitable

[toiletseat_girl]

So it's like a hierarchy and a free-for-all at the same time?
Sounds messy.
I know I'd get pissed if my soul was meant for one of the nice places and got stolen.
Probably not much they can do about it, though.

[abyssalarcana]

ew a hierarchy would be awful
no
the very thought makes me shudder
anyway its like you say they cant do anything about it
barely conscious at that stage anyway
more like bugs than people so who cares

[toiletseat_girl]

Bugs? Seriously?

[abyssalarcana]

sure
maybe that doesnt translate right
this language lacks nuance i cant belive you people have to use it all the time
umm what i mean is theyre like animals? worms?? just dumb and afraid of everything and they react without thinking
like if you hold fire up to a bug it tries to run away but it doesnt know why
it just does it

[toiletseat_girl]

That's so weird.
Where I'm from, the souls react like people.
At least they do until they cross over into the afterlife.
But in your world, all souls end up like that?

[abyssalarcana]

dont know about the ones that go to the gods
they become like that when they end up other places or maybe sometime on the boats
dont really know
if theyre lucky someone gives them a body or they earn it maybe by eating other souls and then they sometimes can be like people again
most get destroyed before they get that far though

[toiletseat_girl]

That's rough.
Sounds like a real survival of the fittest thing.

[abyssalarcana]

thats a good phrase
very appropriate
we have a phrase
the quasit that eats simrevi is just a better meal for nalfeshnee
so basically you try to be strong and yet something is always stronger than you
survival of the fittest but even the fittest have to watch their backs

[toiletseat_girl]

I guess that never changes no matter where you are.
No matter how tough you think you are, someone's always gonna be tougher.
I know it's like that here.

[abyssalarcana]

yes and when you think you are the strongest
one of the gods maybe
even the strongest of gods can be pulled down by the others working in unison
a constant cycle of death and destruction is all there is

[toiletseat_girl]

Gods?
There's more than one where you're from?

[abyssalarcana]

dozens
gods of places, gods of things, old gods and young gods
they all have their strengths and weaknesses
seems stranger to me that you say you have no gods at all

[toiletseat_girl]

That's a helluvalot of gods.
Well, my world does have gods people believe in.
The Jews, Christians, and Muslims have one god.
The Hindus and Shintos have a lot of gods, if I remember my high school history right.
It's just that I never believed in any of them.

[abyssalarcana]

how do you have gods but not believe in them
do you believe in cats

[toiletseat_girl]

Of course I believe in cats.
You can see a cat. You can touch a cat.
But gods?
Those just stay up in the sky, doling out diving justice.
Or divine vengeance.
Depending on what kind of person you are.
But you can't see or touch them.