Video; Where's The Laughter in Slaughter?

[ragnarsson]

[When the camera gets turned on, the first thing to note is that Ivar's face is streaked in blood that has only just started to dry in places. Someone's been out worshiping with the natives in a fashion very familiar to a Viking. If y'all hadn't gotten the impression Ivar was a bloodthirsty barbarian from a bygone era, the imagery is definitely reinforced with the dripping red streaks on his face. Also is that some around his lips as well? Has he been drinking the stuff too? Honestly, though, he seems quite pleased by what's been going on even if everyone else might be disturbed by the casual slaughter of the cows. His tone starts off very serious, since worship is important where he's from.]

About time this place started getting some proper worship going. I know most of you all are from soft places-- [The scorn in his tone is obvious.] --but blood sacrifices are always the best when giving due diligence to these gods where I am from. Blood demands blood, especially if you want them to be on your side in battle, or to favor you at all. It's really not all that different then slaughtering animals for food, just with more rituals and rites to it.

[Then he switches back to his usual tone that ranges somewhere between insanity and half-truths end tends to indulge in.]

It's a good thing we finally got the right sort of animals around here. Otherwise, I might have had to resort to sacrificing one of you. [He muses for a moment before laughing.] I'm joking of course! [Beat.] Human sacrifices only work if they're willing participants.

[OOC: This post is for a general discussion, so feel free to have threads amongst all the characters and thread-jacking rather then just talking with Ivar. Do let me know if you do want a specific thread with him! He has rather...strong opinions about this.]

Comments

video;

[tealeafs]

I'd say no.. I'm sure the gods would be fine with some other form.

[ Or at the very least Honir, considering she spoke to him and he seemed so nice? Not the blood ritual type at all. ]

[imahealerbut]

[She's not really sure Honir should be their yardstick for "the average god"? But total agreement on his character, he seems like a wuss.]

You're in good company. Honestly, I'd suspect those against the sacrifices are in the majority, but everyone was just crying politely about it.

[tealeafs]

I guess these kinds of things happen since we're all from different worlds.. There might be some worlds out there where it's normal, and for others it's unthinkable.

[ Case in point: the person who spoke up about this to begin with. Apparently it sure is a lot more normal for him, judging by how he speaks of it, whereas Chizuru still isn't fully recovered from the sight of it all. ]

But it feels like just giving them some other offering should be a good compromise between those who do and don't want this.

[imahealerbut]

We'll see if that happens.

[She frowns.]

But someday we will run into someone who doesn’t want to compromise- I just hope this idiot isn’t it.

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru looks like she's hesitating for a moment before she speaks up. ]

.. Are you sure you should say that? [ As in "say that in public", more like. ] He seems..

[ How to put this diplomatically. ]

Kind of dangerous..? [ See, that's putting it very mildly.

And Chizuru thinks Wen Qing is a good person! So no bad things should happen to her. Like.. you know. Murder. ]

[imahealerbut]

Safer as that would be, we’d be called cowards if that was found out.

[It’s a fair point, and she responds to it seriously. What she did was not straightforwardly wise. Nevertheless, Wen Qing believes in her reasoning- for now. ]

Besides, he and his kind ought to know that not all Wanderers are pushovers.

[Chizuru is welcome to argue, though.]

[tealeafs]

[ Oh, she's definitely not going to argue with that. Chizuru knows how to pick her fights - she usually doesn't go for it unless she's really passionate about something. And rather than passion, that remark was more just fueled by concern for the other.

But as long as Wen Qing seems confident in it.. well, she seems smart enough to be able to have calculated the potential risk, so Chizuru just slightly nods. ]

That is important. [ Even if it's dangerous. But that means.. ] .. you're really brave.

[imahealerbut]

Brave? Huh, that's a weird way to describe it.

[She’s been called stubborn, audacious, arrogant. It genuinely seems to amuse her, being called “brave” - but then again, there’s little place for that kind of rhetoric in the courts of a tyrant.]

[tealeafs]

You think so? You really do seem brave to me though.

[ Granted, she tends to view people in the most positive light, so maybe it doesn't mean as much coming from Chizuru.. But she does mean it with all her heart regardless.

In fact, it's the first thing that makes her look a little less fussy after this whole mess. ]

Not everyone would dare to just say that so easily.

[imahealerbut]

And the ones that dare, what do you think they're like aside from that?

[tealeafs]

Aside from just brave? [ Apparently Chizuru didn't expect the question, since she grows quiet for a moment to consider it. ]

.. Strong? I guess maybe a little stubborn sometimes? [ But that's mostly since-- ] I knew someone back home very well who was just like that. People called him stubborn all the time too, but I think that's a good thing in cases where it means those people can go stand up for what's right even when others can't or won't.

[imahealerbut]

[She chuckles.] 'Stubborn', that's more like it.

Maybe the case you described is a good thing, but it doesn't always lead to good results.

Eh- that's just me being paranoid. Anyway, many more cases are people speaking up to get what they want, where I come from. I forgot about cases like yours.

[tealeafs]

[ That makes her laugh, even though there's a hint of something almost embarrassed or awkward in it. ]

Sorry, maybe I was thinking a little too idealistically.. [ Or maybe it's just because Chizuru pretty much doesn't have even a single selfish bone in her, so sometimes it's easy to forget others do. ]

sorry for short reply :o

[imahealerbut]

There's no point in apologising for it.