[ OPEN ] Let No Soul Hunger For Justice: An Inquiry.

[fleurdesel]

FORM: Sending Crystals
SENDER: Adelaide LeBlanc
RECIPIENT: Everyone
WHAT: Vaguely philosophical question time
WHEN: Current
WHERE: Skyhold
NOTES: Part of Let No Soul Hunger For Justice.

[ Adelaide’s voice is even, if tired- but what else is new? Still this is a requirement for the next ritual and to that end, she must find some sort of acceptable truth from a variety of opinions. Sequestered in ‘her’ desk in the Library, full pot of coffee warmed to one side, sheaves of blank paper and bottles of fresh ink before her. To her right? Anders with a similar set up, papers, quills, ink- a kitten. To her left, Roul to take just as many notes. Prepared as they are ever going to be- she asks. ]

A few questions for the Inquisition:

What is a soul, truly? What fundamental differences are there between a mortal’s soul and the embodiment of a spirit? Is it the culmination of our thoughts and experiences, our emotions? Is it a combination of our self given purpose and our ambition?

A mortal might change their purpose, might grow and become more due to our experiences- most spirits do not. But what more than that? What sets one soul apart and makes it distinct from another? Can the same be said of similar spirits?

Answers need not be religious or academic- merely true. What do you believe to be the difference, what do you believe to be a soul?

[ ooc: threadjacking is welcome and encouraged ]

Comments

[justice_is_blond]

Has magic done no good in your world? Helped with nothing? Saved nothing?

[There's a little pleading in his voice. It can't be all bad. It has to not be all bad, somehow.]

Here, it can do a great deal of good as well as ill. It is a tool, nothing more. Let there be laws... but let them be for all people, because the point is that we are people too. I'm not saying let us steal and not have that counted as a crime. I'm not asking for us to be above people. I'm simply asking for equality, and I don't believe there's anything wrong with that, nor is it simplistic or damaging.

I am sorry that things were hidden from you. I am sorry that you hurt people. That's a... [He falters for a moment,] It's a heavy burden, and to have done it by accident is even worse. The balance is in information, and in fairness. In acceptance, and treating everyone as people. Only that will work.

[eviscerates]

Yeah. ( You know that painful note of happiness and sadness that tangles together, sometimes? ) Yeah, it does. True love is the most powerful magic of all, and magic that is rooted in that? In love and in... in light, that can do great things.

( And then you've got werewolves. You've got people like me. You've got monsters.

She doesn't say it, but maybe there's something that betrays her a little. )

And you've got... people who will do whatever it takes to resculpt the world into what they want. They aren't the only people, but they're the ones who strike first, usually, and sometimes you can't kiss a problem better.

( Apparently you can often if you're a Charming, but not always. )

I think equality is the only thing that makes sense. I just... don't know how to do it and keep everyone safe when we're talking about such big things being possible so fast. But maybe that kind of magic just isn't possible here. And maybe that... makes it easier, I don't know.

( She shrugs, even if he can't see it. ) Sorry. It's not like an outsider interfering is actually helpful. My bad.

[justice_is_blond]

You're here, and it's little comfort, but as far as I know there's no way heard of yet to get you back. If you want to go back. You can stay an outsider or not. That's up to you.

[There's a fair bit of emotion in her voice and he can't wholly sort it out. What he can do is keep talking, because he can always keep talking.]

People have always tried to resculpt the world into what they want. Mages and non alike. Mages have been on the losing side of that more often than not, because we make nice, easy targets for people to be afraid of, for fearsome stories to be written about. People will continue to resculpt the world. There are always those that seek to rule. That won't change, and there will always be people seeking war. That won't change either.

What can change is those who would put down whole groups for the actions of a few, for things that cannot be controlled, for fear, for how they look or how they're born, or so on. What can change is injustice, and hatred, and prejudice. Anything can be used for good or for ill. What matters is what we make of what we have.

[eviscerates]

I know. ( Quiet, that; very quiet. She's not sure it's as easy as not wanting to be an outsider. She's been one ever since she had an eccentric grandmother ranting about the dangers of wolves, and since she was run out of town.

There'd been a long stretch back home where she hadn't been an outsider, when she'd still been part of Snow and David's lives, when she'd been useful. They weren't in the Enchanted Forest any more, though, they didn't need an allie against Regina any more, and maybe she had already been feeling disconnected and it was both sides that pulled back, or maybe she just hadn't been useful any more. She really couldn't say.

She wishes that her own emotions came with some kind of meter so she could just read them easily and figure them out. )

That's very very true. The... second world I come from has a long history of non-mages doing terrible things to people, and doing... so much harm. That's a world without magic and it's just as scary. More, sometimes.

( When they stop to think about it, anyway. So often they're trying to stop some villain or other from casting a curse or seeking out some power or generally being shady as hell that there isn't time to be concerned about normal world politics that they can't do anything about anyway. )

Yeah. You're right. ( She does agree, and genuinely, she's just a little mired in her thoughts. ) I, um. I might go. I-- I have some stuff I should probably take care of, but I'm on the same page.

[justice_is_blond]

All right.

[At least they're on the same page, and she's acknowledged that non-magical stuff has just as much risk of going wrong. That's a good start.]

Until next time.