Post by Starstorm on Jan 21, 2008 6:07:50 GMT -5
(First of all, I'd like to thank Grinvader, Cliff, Naga, and Kestrel for looking over this.
It's basically a continuation of the original Temptations, although with a different subject of temptation. Who it is is left up to your imagination. I apologize if it's a bit longish, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.)
Mmm, yes, my sweet?
You know, it's odd, I get that question a lot. In a way, it tires me, as I am not fond of having to endlessly justify my choices. Honestly, I prefer your little clique to try and kill me. It is thrilling, really, and my eventual victory makes the thrill that much sweeter.
Yes, love, "Good will win in the end" and all that. You keep telling yourself that. But, I cannot be forever destroyed. In this body is the soul of the Gifted, and I will return as much as necessary to achieve victory. Immortality, even when the body fails...
In any case, sweetheart, we return to the subject at hand. I much prefer it when you lot try to kill me, it is far less tiresome than your constant attempts to "save" me and forcing me to justify my choices. While some justification is required, I really don't feel that I need any more than "this is what I wanted to be".
Dear, that is very narrow thinking, and unaccepting of the fact that I can and do make choices that would not fall in line with Sikkar's beliefs. Sikkar, and those who worship him, are foolish to believe that all beings innately seek to conform to his belief of how the world should be. And honestly, a lot of it is the exact opposite of how the world IS.
Honey, idealism does not automatically make you pure and good and worthwhile. After all, I only fit the "worthwhile" portion.
You show incredulousness. Yes, I am an idealist. I am not an idealist of the spirit, however. I do not believe that it is our destiny to become "pure", or as I prefer to call it, "sterile". I am an idealist of the flesh. To me, life is dirty and gooey and disgusting, and that is the way it was meant to be. My ideal is to celebrate the dirtiness, and find beauty and pleasure in it. I have stated before that the seven "sins" are just natural impulses of all life, and have their place in a just and good society.
That expression is tiring. I prefer the look of righteous indignation mixed with disapproval and pointless resistance. Actually, I'd prefer a pleading come-hither look, but we can't have everything. Try something new, at least, I love new experiences.
Okay, now you're just being a smartass. Still, I like that, it shows that you maintain humor despite your situation.
But yes, lover, sin has its place in a just and good society. However, my ideal society would not classify sin as you do. Think of it in this manner. Have you TRULY looked at someone who has given into sin as you define it? Yes, you'll find it among your own, I think you will realize. Just look at your precious order.
Have you not attended one of the holy feasts your church is wont to give? Have the feasters thought of those whose feast amount to maybe an extra loaf of bread and another bowl of thin soup? In that, I see Gluttony. Kings, clergymen, and merchant alike are fond of conducting lavish parties, with a guest list that would set the "Who's Who of the Six Worlds" to shame. All the while, those under them barely find the coin to continue working in something resembling good health. In that, there is Greed.
Have you not seen a superior, and believed that you could do far better for your cause than that fool ever could? Those are the whispers of Envy, Sikkarite. Have you not looked at a situation and thought that someone else "is already addressing it"? Even Sloth exists in the righteous. Have you seen one of your own become so opposed to evil and sin that they cannot abide even the smallest taint of it, and react with ferocity born of fervor? There is the sin of Wrath. Pride, as well, if they believe that their percieved purity and stance against evil sets them above others.
Oh, and Lust? Well, dear... Here I come to an impasse. Why, you ask? It's quite simple. I do not percieve of Lust as a sin.
Oh, there ARE ways for Lust to become evil, yes. The ones who seek their own pleasure above all else, despite causing suffering, willfully or not, upon others, and the ones who destroy their self through that pursuit. Perhaps... have you seen the one whose only joy is to destroy the servants of those Sikkar opposes?
But in the end, for me, the destruction of a person via Lust is purely academic. Deep within, in my mind and soul I do not, can not think of Lust as a sin.
Let me tell you a story. Baal-Luujur has known of me for a long time and has stated to me, and I am inclined to agree, that I worship her whether I did so intentionally or not. Needless to say, someone as devoted to her personal pleasures as I am would be a valuable, or at least interesting, ally.
I told you I already tired of that look. Yes, I say "ally", and I say it intentionally and with truth. I may explain the reason for that utterance, in time.
In any case, one night, some time before my rebirth, a succubus appeared to me. She stated that her Mistress had been watching me, and had wished to offer me a gift. That gift was the succubus. There was some flirting, but when a thought enters my mind, I pursue it. I think you can imagine what happened in short order.
I see you're imagining it. Don't be ashamed, it cannot be helped. Although, I do wish you would focus, I am telling a story here. Do not fret, I will tend to you in a short time.
Ah, the pleasures she showed me were almost indescribable, darling. I touched the stars that night, on a metaphorical level, and it is a height of pleasure I have sought and found repeatedly ever since that night. Actually, I found it even before then. I just learned, I think, to achieve that state of bliss and even greater states of ecstasy more reliably.
After I had laid in my bed, panting, she truly attempted to tempt me. She told me that Baal-Luujur wished for me what I had just experienced, and would be overjoyed to deliver them to me... if I served her. I remember my reaction to her: I laughed, told her that while I was grateful for Baal-Luujur's offer, she needed not tempt me with what I could already achieve. And then I rolled her over and... well, let's not get into details. I was told later, when I finally decided to bind myself to Baal-Luujur, that the poor thing returned to her in a disheveled daze, and remained so for quite some time. I suspect Baal-Luujur was kneading the truth, if not outright lying, but it is a bit of a boost to my ego.
My ultimate point is exceedingly difficult for me to be tempted via Lust... most certainly not by sexual lust. I can sate that perfectly well on my own, and I care little for other expressions save a purely academic interest and method of baring the truth of another's soul. I could be wrong, but then, I don't mind being wrong.
Oh, really. What you call "corruption", I call "bringing others to accept and make peace with the fact that we're all impure". Oh, and "learning to enjoy our impurities" as well.
Now, you might think of the temptation as successful. You might even be correct in that assumption. But in the end, I do not care. When the time came, and I grew bored and restless of my life, I accepted rebirth, and thought of binding myself to Baal-Luujur as just a natural extension of what I love. Temptation only works, in my mind, if the tempted is denying the temptation. I had long accepted, and took joy in the fact that I am a creature of lust whose idea of heaven is to enjoy as many pleasures as one possibly can, and to bring others to savor those pleasures as well. I enjoy being a cultist of Baal-Luujur for the pleasure it gives me, and the pleasures I bring others, which gives me even more pleasure in return.
If you want to get down to the sheer basics, I am happiest when I'm making others happy. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, has ever given me more pleasure than knowing that I am the direct cause the joy that another experienced.
There is nothing quite like it, love. You should try it.
Now, that IS an interesting question. What do I consider sin then? Well, I refer you to my past examples, if you have been listening. It all comes down to one thing, and this one thing convinces me that despite the fact that I am "evil" as Sikkar judges, I am "good". Each one of those examples forgets another: the person who suffers needlessly.
The feasters of your holy days can remind themselves that as agents of Sikkar, who supposedly despises suffering, their duty is to their flock and as such ensure that they need not hunger. The revelers can remember who helped carry them to such lofty heights and invite those to the feast, Even better, forget the lavish parties and spend the gold to make their lot better.
You can remember that your superior is superior for a reason... although, if he is truly a fool, it is your duty to see him replaced by someone worthier. The worthy one may not, I note, necessarily be you. You can remember that while your compatriot may be fully capable of addressing a hostile situation, she can always use your assistance. You can always remember that you are by nature impure, and as such continue to strive past your impurities... or make peace with them. The wrathful one can step back and seek to understand what drove their foe to perform the sin that they perceive, and address the root cause of that sin.
And Lust? Well, my only answer is to share the pleasures with others, and ensure you cause no needless suffering in the seeking of your pleasure. Although I do note that some seem to take pleasure in suffering, such as your little order.
Don't look at me like that. I've seen you whipping yourselves. Oh wait no, you like to call it "scourging", right? Like you were "scourging yourself of sin"? Come now, if I were to whip some of my lovers like that, they'd be quickly brought to the edge of ecstasy. In fact, I can do it to you if you like. It's like someone said, although I do not recall whom: if I whip you, it's slavery, but if you whip yourself, it's showing your devotion? Either way, you're being enslaved to someone. At least what I inflict is only for a few hours, at most.
But again, my sweet, I digress. I exist to help others achieve pleasure, and I am a cultist of Baal-Luujur because of that. That is the core of my existence, and my ideal is to see all become comfortable with their impurity and find joy in it. As well, nothing truly upsets me more than seeing others suffer needlessly and be denied pleasure pointlessly.
Oh! Now that is the expression I have been wanting. Now you understand: all that I wish for you is your pleasure and your acceptance of what you are. You may even become a better person for it. But for now, that is beyond my care, my only thought is what will come in the immediate future. Now, lover, let me show you what I am capable of.
Oh my...
It's basically a continuation of the original Temptations, although with a different subject of temptation. Who it is is left up to your imagination. I apologize if it's a bit longish, but I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.)
Mmm, yes, my sweet?
You know, it's odd, I get that question a lot. In a way, it tires me, as I am not fond of having to endlessly justify my choices. Honestly, I prefer your little clique to try and kill me. It is thrilling, really, and my eventual victory makes the thrill that much sweeter.
Yes, love, "Good will win in the end" and all that. You keep telling yourself that. But, I cannot be forever destroyed. In this body is the soul of the Gifted, and I will return as much as necessary to achieve victory. Immortality, even when the body fails...
In any case, sweetheart, we return to the subject at hand. I much prefer it when you lot try to kill me, it is far less tiresome than your constant attempts to "save" me and forcing me to justify my choices. While some justification is required, I really don't feel that I need any more than "this is what I wanted to be".
Dear, that is very narrow thinking, and unaccepting of the fact that I can and do make choices that would not fall in line with Sikkar's beliefs. Sikkar, and those who worship him, are foolish to believe that all beings innately seek to conform to his belief of how the world should be. And honestly, a lot of it is the exact opposite of how the world IS.
Honey, idealism does not automatically make you pure and good and worthwhile. After all, I only fit the "worthwhile" portion.
You show incredulousness. Yes, I am an idealist. I am not an idealist of the spirit, however. I do not believe that it is our destiny to become "pure", or as I prefer to call it, "sterile". I am an idealist of the flesh. To me, life is dirty and gooey and disgusting, and that is the way it was meant to be. My ideal is to celebrate the dirtiness, and find beauty and pleasure in it. I have stated before that the seven "sins" are just natural impulses of all life, and have their place in a just and good society.
That expression is tiring. I prefer the look of righteous indignation mixed with disapproval and pointless resistance. Actually, I'd prefer a pleading come-hither look, but we can't have everything. Try something new, at least, I love new experiences.
Okay, now you're just being a smartass. Still, I like that, it shows that you maintain humor despite your situation.
But yes, lover, sin has its place in a just and good society. However, my ideal society would not classify sin as you do. Think of it in this manner. Have you TRULY looked at someone who has given into sin as you define it? Yes, you'll find it among your own, I think you will realize. Just look at your precious order.
Have you not attended one of the holy feasts your church is wont to give? Have the feasters thought of those whose feast amount to maybe an extra loaf of bread and another bowl of thin soup? In that, I see Gluttony. Kings, clergymen, and merchant alike are fond of conducting lavish parties, with a guest list that would set the "Who's Who of the Six Worlds" to shame. All the while, those under them barely find the coin to continue working in something resembling good health. In that, there is Greed.
Have you not seen a superior, and believed that you could do far better for your cause than that fool ever could? Those are the whispers of Envy, Sikkarite. Have you not looked at a situation and thought that someone else "is already addressing it"? Even Sloth exists in the righteous. Have you seen one of your own become so opposed to evil and sin that they cannot abide even the smallest taint of it, and react with ferocity born of fervor? There is the sin of Wrath. Pride, as well, if they believe that their percieved purity and stance against evil sets them above others.
Oh, and Lust? Well, dear... Here I come to an impasse. Why, you ask? It's quite simple. I do not percieve of Lust as a sin.
Oh, there ARE ways for Lust to become evil, yes. The ones who seek their own pleasure above all else, despite causing suffering, willfully or not, upon others, and the ones who destroy their self through that pursuit. Perhaps... have you seen the one whose only joy is to destroy the servants of those Sikkar opposes?
But in the end, for me, the destruction of a person via Lust is purely academic. Deep within, in my mind and soul I do not, can not think of Lust as a sin.
Let me tell you a story. Baal-Luujur has known of me for a long time and has stated to me, and I am inclined to agree, that I worship her whether I did so intentionally or not. Needless to say, someone as devoted to her personal pleasures as I am would be a valuable, or at least interesting, ally.
I told you I already tired of that look. Yes, I say "ally", and I say it intentionally and with truth. I may explain the reason for that utterance, in time.
In any case, one night, some time before my rebirth, a succubus appeared to me. She stated that her Mistress had been watching me, and had wished to offer me a gift. That gift was the succubus. There was some flirting, but when a thought enters my mind, I pursue it. I think you can imagine what happened in short order.
I see you're imagining it. Don't be ashamed, it cannot be helped. Although, I do wish you would focus, I am telling a story here. Do not fret, I will tend to you in a short time.
Ah, the pleasures she showed me were almost indescribable, darling. I touched the stars that night, on a metaphorical level, and it is a height of pleasure I have sought and found repeatedly ever since that night. Actually, I found it even before then. I just learned, I think, to achieve that state of bliss and even greater states of ecstasy more reliably.
After I had laid in my bed, panting, she truly attempted to tempt me. She told me that Baal-Luujur wished for me what I had just experienced, and would be overjoyed to deliver them to me... if I served her. I remember my reaction to her: I laughed, told her that while I was grateful for Baal-Luujur's offer, she needed not tempt me with what I could already achieve. And then I rolled her over and... well, let's not get into details. I was told later, when I finally decided to bind myself to Baal-Luujur, that the poor thing returned to her in a disheveled daze, and remained so for quite some time. I suspect Baal-Luujur was kneading the truth, if not outright lying, but it is a bit of a boost to my ego.
My ultimate point is exceedingly difficult for me to be tempted via Lust... most certainly not by sexual lust. I can sate that perfectly well on my own, and I care little for other expressions save a purely academic interest and method of baring the truth of another's soul. I could be wrong, but then, I don't mind being wrong.
Oh, really. What you call "corruption", I call "bringing others to accept and make peace with the fact that we're all impure". Oh, and "learning to enjoy our impurities" as well.
Now, you might think of the temptation as successful. You might even be correct in that assumption. But in the end, I do not care. When the time came, and I grew bored and restless of my life, I accepted rebirth, and thought of binding myself to Baal-Luujur as just a natural extension of what I love. Temptation only works, in my mind, if the tempted is denying the temptation. I had long accepted, and took joy in the fact that I am a creature of lust whose idea of heaven is to enjoy as many pleasures as one possibly can, and to bring others to savor those pleasures as well. I enjoy being a cultist of Baal-Luujur for the pleasure it gives me, and the pleasures I bring others, which gives me even more pleasure in return.
If you want to get down to the sheer basics, I am happiest when I'm making others happy. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, has ever given me more pleasure than knowing that I am the direct cause the joy that another experienced.
There is nothing quite like it, love. You should try it.
Now, that IS an interesting question. What do I consider sin then? Well, I refer you to my past examples, if you have been listening. It all comes down to one thing, and this one thing convinces me that despite the fact that I am "evil" as Sikkar judges, I am "good". Each one of those examples forgets another: the person who suffers needlessly.
The feasters of your holy days can remind themselves that as agents of Sikkar, who supposedly despises suffering, their duty is to their flock and as such ensure that they need not hunger. The revelers can remember who helped carry them to such lofty heights and invite those to the feast, Even better, forget the lavish parties and spend the gold to make their lot better.
You can remember that your superior is superior for a reason... although, if he is truly a fool, it is your duty to see him replaced by someone worthier. The worthy one may not, I note, necessarily be you. You can remember that while your compatriot may be fully capable of addressing a hostile situation, she can always use your assistance. You can always remember that you are by nature impure, and as such continue to strive past your impurities... or make peace with them. The wrathful one can step back and seek to understand what drove their foe to perform the sin that they perceive, and address the root cause of that sin.
And Lust? Well, my only answer is to share the pleasures with others, and ensure you cause no needless suffering in the seeking of your pleasure. Although I do note that some seem to take pleasure in suffering, such as your little order.
Don't look at me like that. I've seen you whipping yourselves. Oh wait no, you like to call it "scourging", right? Like you were "scourging yourself of sin"? Come now, if I were to whip some of my lovers like that, they'd be quickly brought to the edge of ecstasy. In fact, I can do it to you if you like. It's like someone said, although I do not recall whom: if I whip you, it's slavery, but if you whip yourself, it's showing your devotion? Either way, you're being enslaved to someone. At least what I inflict is only for a few hours, at most.
But again, my sweet, I digress. I exist to help others achieve pleasure, and I am a cultist of Baal-Luujur because of that. That is the core of my existence, and my ideal is to see all become comfortable with their impurity and find joy in it. As well, nothing truly upsets me more than seeing others suffer needlessly and be denied pleasure pointlessly.
Oh! Now that is the expression I have been wanting. Now you understand: all that I wish for you is your pleasure and your acceptance of what you are. You may even become a better person for it. But for now, that is beyond my care, my only thought is what will come in the immediate future. Now, lover, let me show you what I am capable of.
Oh my...