asgardgenesis | Video; Where's The Laughter in Slaughter?

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Video; Where's The Laughter in Slaughter?

[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.]

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[Terezi opted for audio in this case, as this was a more open sort of discussion and she was finding that these people were such pansies about her glorious font choices. She wasn't perturbed by the presence of the blood or the sacrifices, but the bedlam?

Well, let's just say that she was glad it involved the sacrificing of cluckbeasts to the gods as opposed to the alternatives that might have been around.]

Ya know... pretty sure those gods didn't actually ask for it. That Honir guy's a lot softer than you make the others out to be. It was a good show. Kind of gratuitous, but what can you do when you kill a moo beast without doing it properly.

Trick is, if they diiiidn't ask for it, who told these people to kill a cluck beast like that and why?

[Hey, look who finally figured out how to use the voice function. Which is a good thing because, one, she's green and two, she's a little grossed out.

She also doesn't recognize Ivar, since the last time she saw him, he was kind of a swan.

Her voice is mild, with a certain cadence to it, like she was once a trained singer.]

I've heard of blood sacrifices before. But I don't understand. Did the gods give us the animals? Isn't it rude to take a gift and destroy it?

...isn't this dangerous? We could upset them.

[A pause.]

Actually, I'm pretty sure this would upset the ones I've met so far, but I haven't met all of them...

Edited 2019-09-14 22:38 (UTC)

Where I come from, the gods don’t speak. They aren’t knowable. If you’ve done an evil, and you have ill luck after, you know why.

But it’s been long years since anyone — since most men have sacrificed to them.

[He thinks of the tales he’s heard of what happened at the Wolf’s Den. But he also thinks of Craster, and of what Melisandre had done to Mance, and to the little princess.]

We can speak to the gods here. We can ask them what they want, whether they want this kind of worship.

[ Peter is still in his ship and it's not hard to tell his opinion when it comes to the current sacrifice issue. The Benatar is filled with chickens, pigs, and even three different cows. They're safer here than outside. He's even holding a piggy in his lap, that he named Bowie, when he answers his roommate's video. The guardian tries to keep his voice even and respectful but it's not hard to tell that Peter's deeply upset. He's always wearing his heart on one's sleeve when it comes to pain. ]

No offense to your culture, Ivar, but have the Gods here actually asked for any of this? Not Sigyn nor Honir strike me like the kind of people who would enjoy seeing animals slaughtered like that, more so considering his fondness for the horses. [ Then again, Honir is slightly gullible because he's fascinated by everything. It worries Peter that Honir could agree to the sacrifices if he thinks it's what the wanderers might want. ] The animals showed up out of the blue, how do we know they're not a present FROM the gods? Or from Igrdag...Iddres...their shiny tree? For all we know, we could be offending them every time one is killed. Have you seen Skadi mad? Because I didn't but I know for sure I don't want to either.

[ Peter hopes is all a misunderstanding because he had started to trust a few of the Gods and now is rethinking his opinion. He will be immensely disappointed -but not surprised- if it turns out the city was only a set up of them to gain sacrifices. He squints a little, paying close attention to Ivar's mouth. ]

Is that blood? Buddy, drinking it can't be healthy. Who knows where the cows and pigs really came from.[ That said, the last part of Ivar's statement that gets his attention even more. ] Humans rituals back in your home are voluntary? How does that work? What do you get in exchange? Luck in battle or...

Just to keep these all in one easy to find place! Please don't respond to this comment. :)

bro
really
were gonna go this route
like idk most of the animals we still need
gotta raise them and do farm shit
and dunno about you but
i dont want to wake up to blood on my door or w/e
last i checked sacrifices were p bad

[Since it's Peter responding, Ivar actually responds in a serious fashion instead of full of snark like he might with something else. Religious talk tends to get him to talk in a frank and solemn manner. His religion is no joke.]

If you are given a gift, you should show appreciation for it. I understand things are very different where you are from, but consider this: food is always scarce in the North. It is a precious commodity and shouldn't be wasted. By sacrificing an animal in the name of the gods, spilling its blood on the ground, and then eating it, you have shown thankfulness towards the gods that provided it, and ask their blessings that more be sent to you. To ignore their contribution is a great insult.

Ingesting it shows willingness to commit to the sacrifice. [His tongue snakes out and he licks at the blood on the corner of his mouth, a grin on his face.]

Human sacrifices provide favor from the gods for the next nine years. Normally it's nine human beings, nine bulls, nine goats, you get the idea, all sacrificed at once. [So they don't do this on a whim. It's a very serious rite.] Being a sacrifice is a great honor, it's as worthy as falling in battle to die that way. We sacrificed a willing warrior the last time before we raided England and had nothing but great success there.

[Oh, it's the voice of that nice whatever-she-is (forest spirit?). At least she didn't immediately jump on him for mentioning how gross it is, so she gets answered without any condescension or sarcasm.]

Where I am from, food is a precious commodity. When you spill the blood of a creature, you're thanking the gods for providing the creatures in the first place, and asking their blessing that they will send more. It's not destroying it, it's giving it back to them in another form. Like a transformation.

[She considers this a moment. Ariadne may be naive and hopelessly optimistic, sometimes. But she can be thoughtful too.]

I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense. But food isn't all that precious here. I mean, I haven't been hungry a single day since I arrived.

...should we be sacrificing wheat then?

[ Mindful of their different backgrounds, an appreciating that Ivar took the time to respond, Peter listens without interrupting. He only pets the pig in his lap from time to time as the animals seems to be dozing off. ]

Animal sacrifices had existed in almost all religions and cultures of my world too but we don't do it anymore nowadays. Or we don't do it as bluntly as what the locals here were doing the other night. I can understand why they are considered important, it's just not something I grew up with. [ And frankly, it's pretty freaky, although Peter keeps that to himself. ] To wake up to find the local painting your door with blood, covered in it and chanting ominously? Lots of people were terrified, we have children in the city who had no idea what all this meant or if it was dangerous for them to go out. The thing is, in Asgard we had the chance to talk to the gods directly, praise them or offer them gifts it's that what were inclined to do. Bad talk and snark at them as well, even if that's less usual. It makes all this bloodshed seem rather...unnecessary. Disorganized. Are we sure the people here knew what they were doing?

[ Peter scrunches up his nose slightly when the viking licks his lips but...you do you, Ivar. He hopes the cows are disease-free. ]

I applaud your commitment then, my friend. The number nine is a special one? [ He pauses and thinks for a moment about what he knows of Thor's home. Then it clicks. ] Ah, it is because there are Nine realms? Is what Thor told us once, he even went to Nidavellir with half of my team. He never mentioned any need for blood sacrifices, though. [ They would have kicked him out of the ship if he did, that for sure. ]

Considering they're not used to mortals or being in the form of one, they might not realize the benefits of sacrifice just yet. It can be a teaching moment.

[Time to mold the minds of the gods. Who else among the Norse could say they had the same pleasure?]

[Contrary to popular belief, it's not the killing of the animals that makes Josie squeamish. It happens in some of the darker magics, and while she's never been fond of it, nor has it been the kind of magic she's actively practiced, but he's not wrong.

Blood magic is powerful magic.

At the same time, there are other things to consider.]

If we're going to do it, we need to be smart about it. These animals just appeared and we don't want them to disappear because we went crazy and abused this resource. We need to make sure there are rules regulating the use of them, not just sacrificing them and needlessly or wasting pieces.

[They need to be consumed properly.]

That being said, since we do have access to the gods, we might as well ask them if this is what they want. If you're arguing that this is to earn their favor, then maybe we should ask them what that entails.

Alright, so it might have gotten a little out of hand. [He thinks of Heahmund and the debates he had with the warrior Christian bishop. How would he have reacted to the slaughter and sacrifice? Not well.] So we organize it better for them. We sacrifice at four key times during the year at home and in specific areas. Why not do the same here?

[He nods slowly.] Nine is very important to Vikings. Nine realms, Odin knows eighteen charms-- [Double nines, so doubly special.] --Thor will take nine steps at Ragnarok after defeating the Midgard Serpent. It shows up often.

[The idea actually gets a laugh from Ivar.]

I suppose, though I don't know how effective that would be. It's the intention of the act that's meant to show what you mean. We Norse have always sacrificed animals because they are gods of war, so in order to effectively shed blood, we gave them blood back.

I can understand that.

But I don't think that Honir or Sigyn are gods of war. At least, they don't seem that way to me.

[She scowls.]

Do we know who sent the animals? Maybe we could ask.

[He's quitea bit unsure of a few of those words (twenty-first century slang is weird), but he gets the gist of it.]

So we organize it better. Sacrifice isn't bad, sometimes it's a part of the fabric of life. I highly doubt they're going to sacrifice every single one of the cows. And if they do, then we need to have a serious discussion on the topic of moderation.

[ At first, Mary thinks that one of the natives has gotten hold of a bracelet, but then she realizes that she recognizes the man as one who lives in Tyr house. He's the one who can't use his legs. It's hard not to notice that. Apparently the place he comes from is positively feral, because not only does he not use any implements to help himself, like a cane or a wheelchair, he's currently got animal blood smeared all over his face and thinks it's great. Mary is, in a word, disgusted by this whole thing. It's made her think less of the natives, and particularly less of the visitors that are joining in. Surely they should know better. ]

You look like a barbarian. [ Might as well come right out with it. ] The indiscriminate slaughter of animals that is currently going on is wasteful. I cannot see how it would please the gods. They give us these creatures and then people kill them and bathe in their blood? Absolutely horrifying.

[ One might notice a small pig snout nosing up out of Mary's lap. She snatched up one of the piglets before it could be killed and is currently holed up in Peter's ship with a bunch of livestock. It's not pleasant. ]

I would indeed be interested to know what they think of this display.

[ If they have any humanity at all, she hopes they'll find it just as disturbing as she does. ]

Why, thank you.

[He's been called as such in his own time, so he was wondering when someone here was going to try and insult him by calling him out on his behavior. While he's perfectly civil to those not willing to judge him right off the bat, she's made her position quite clear by calling him a barbarian, so he goes all out with a condescending tone and snark.]

Let me guess, you're a good Christian lady where you're from, and attend church every Sunday, and all the rest of that. You've got your rituals to please your god and I've got mine, my lady.

[The last two words are dripping with sarcasm.]

Hmmm, perhaps it is more indicative of where I come from then their general personalities. We don't usually get a chance to talk to them at all.

[He has been learning quite a bit since he showed up here.]

I was wondering who'd come up with their appearance. Honir was quite interested in the discussion of leather when we talked, perhaps he decided to bring the whole animal itself.

Far be it for me to try to guess at a god's desire. But Honir doesn't seem like the type to revel in blood very much.

What if the sacrifice upsets him? The last thing we want is an angry god.

Just because something isn't asked for doesn't mean it won't be appreciated when it's offered as a gift. Perhaps someone just had a bright idea and the rest followed it.

[Also, did she just call a cow a moo beast? Weird but kind of catchy.]

Perhaps he won't be upset upon actually tasting what beef roasted over a fire tastes like. They've all been deprived for likely far too long.

[Next time, they'll need to do a pig. No god could resist bacon.]

Maybe.

I'm just saying, better safe than sorry. Their land. Their rules.

[Does she personally like this? No, not really. But Ariadne is from a world where she knows her place.]

I'm sorry, I feel so rude. I didn't even ask. What's your name?

Not gonna argue that. Maybe they want the cluck beasts to be wholesale slaughtered and the blood burned on the altar. Wouldn't put it past them... well, again, except for Honir. It really doesn't seem all smiles and confused's style.

...

I'm having trouble with how the locals got from point A to point B, if you will. I mean, you were raised to do it, right? Just like I was raised to cull the weak. But these folks are kiiiinda new to all this existing thing aren't they? Sure seem like it.

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Video; Where's The Laughter in Slaughter?

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