#Blish was his whole life you know | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

queer-as-used-by-tolkien · 3 years

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Siblings

I've made several posts about Blish's distinct older-brother vibe (which, come to think of it, is unique; we barely even have any other characters with siblings) and one or two headcanons from their childhoods and Blish kinda taking care of Gorrik.

But it works the other way, too; we're never told explicitly, but it's heavily hinted that Blish had a degenerative condition similar to Taimi, which is why he's inside a golem that Gorrik built. (I don't think his condition is identical to Taimi's, though; he's probably only a few years older than her, but he's already transitioned to living full-time as a machine. And Taimi had a period where her condition was in remission, we don't really know.)

And we all understand that Blish used to be an asura and we never treat him differently because of it (except at the very beginning, I remember some cringey dialogues). But Taimi needs Scruffy, and her condition isn't even that advanced yet (or at least, not that we know of - after radio silence on her end throughout all of the Icebrood Saga), so I imagine Blish would have needed something similar (perhaps more and more as his condition got worse).

But anyway; a few nights ago, my youngest sister (Miss Pretty's Twin) got an asthma attack. This happens sometimes, badly enough that we have a little machine about two hands big that converts a certain liquid medicine into mist which comes through the mouthpiece, and after twenty minutes or so of breathing it in she's fine, at least for a few hours.

She hadn't had an attack in a while, and it was the middle of the night, so I had to sneak into our parents' room to find the machine and hopefully not wake them up (plan failed, she was tired and scared and fussing rather loudly), and then I sat in the kitchen with her and held her in my lap to try and calm her down (and also hold her nose so she would actually breathe through the mouthpiece) and provide some physical comfort. After a minute or so she calmed down and I was just sitting there holding her, and the machine was whirring rather noisily (but not noisily enough to wake people up).

But I realized this is probably an identical situation to something that's happened between Blish and Gorrik before. I've already said Blish has a strong older-brother vibe, but Gorrik all but exudes protectiveness.

But it's really kind of sad; not in any way I can articulate, but I guess the whole concept of Blish living inside a golem is sad, and when you think there was all sorts of other things he probably had to live with before that...

But this is sad in a sibling kind of way, since Gorrik is the younger brother; I get the vague sense he shouldn't have to deal with that? Older brothers are supposed to be champions; the ones that lead the charge to go exploring, and the younger brother kind of follows in wide-eyed awe and how amazing their brother is.

Blish is a champion in a different sort of way, of course, but it wouldn't have been the same for Gorrik and he kind of never had that experience?

I don't know, my brain is kind of clogging up and isn't doing the normal concept -> words transition.

But like - Gorrik's always depended on Blish for things like emotional support, not to mention his genius, and Gorrik's always helped and supported Blish with his physical condition, partly because Gorrik looks up to and respects him, but also because he really, really, really just simply needs his older brother.

#gorrik #blish #it's just sad #plain and simple #and like after Blish died #I could absolutely see Gorrik doing a Ceera and blaming the Commander #Blish was his whole life you know #and like it's basically canon we don't care so much #we're more worried about Taimi #and SHE is more worried about Kralk #and Aurene #and we only knew Blish for two episodes #but this was Gorrik's BROTHER #Gorrik needs him #gw2 #ls4 #a star to guide us spoilers

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kehideni · 3 years

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There’s a lot i wanna say about this.

First and foremost; GODDDAMIT BRAHAM YOU ARE HARD TO DRAW! (i have a hard time drawing humanoids anyway...)

Ok, but for real:

IBS deserves a lot of sh*t for all those unfulfilled promises. I guess i can understand that they had to leave it for a sceleton crew -and i tip my hat for that crew - but damn i hope Anet learned from this and won’t pull this on us again because now there’s a whole lot of weight on End of Dragons to be good. And i’d wager just “good” will not be enough.

There is one thing that they got right and hit me hard enough, the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSD2aXhfCIE

There was a lot of talk on who Jormag was talking to, with Woodenpotato convinced that they are talking to Ruinbringer. (HAHH!! no...)

The trailer is aimed at the players and therefor obviously Jormag is talking to the Commander. The title of this little piece from me is Dual Fronts for one thing. If you notice Beasteye Denalien is thinking about how proud he is of Braham and how he hopes that Eir can see how much he’s grown.

Braham though is talking about his experiences, that very closely resembles what the PC has gone through in their life in the game so far, except in a quicker pace. Braham is now where the Commander was back in LW Season 3, when they were just starting to grasp the idea that whatever they do, they are destroying the World, eventhough they just WANT TO PROTECT THOSE THAT HE SWORE TO.

Denalien is now in a place where hopefully Braham will be one day too, when they can see the meaning of their fight.

Braham right now does not see how meaningful his action was (no matter how the writing of the game was poor -_- let’s just focus on what Anet intended...), he does not see that he is following in the Commander’s footsteps.

The Commander- who’s biggest fear is pointed out right in the trailer i linked in this post - does get to see it. Rox has found a new home for herself thanks to the Commander, Braham has fulfilled his prophecy, AURENE(!) has fulfilled her prophecy, the Commander could provide Gorrik with a family to hold on to after Blish’s death. He just hopes, he gets to see his children live in a world worthy of them.

Edit: Yeah i know, the screenshots’ subtitles/speechbubbles are not visible enough, but they are important.

Let me help you:

Braham: Do they even know what they are celebrating? Or why?

Denalien thinking: I wonder if you can see this from the Mists, Eir.

Braham: They act like there’s some kind of glory in it...

Flashback Braham: So only you get to decide when we take down a dragon? Only you are allowed to kill them?

Braham: They have no idea what it feels like...

Flashback Joko: But did you ever stop to wonder what that says about you?

Braham: What it costs...

Flashback Joko: They call me a monster, and you a hero.

Denalien thinking: How much your son has grown.

#guild wars 2 #Beasteye Denalien #charr #Braham #Braham Eirsson

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caim-the-godstomper · 5 years

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And Atlas shrugged

It hadn’t even been a full day since the defeat when General Soulkeeper, Laranthir, Steward Gixx and the three Whispers Preceptors arrive in Thunderhead Keep. They were hushered in a meeting room prepared were Dragon’s Watch and Logan were already installed. Caim saw them enter with an empty stare.

They fought. As always, no one could agree on what to do next. And of course, Logan didn’t manage to keep them in check. A tiny difference, though. They had no plan. Absolutely, none.

“Commander, maybe you…”

Caiméilia had been massaging her temples until Laranthir spoke. Trying to deal with the way her head felt, so heavy. Trying to keep control. But now everyone is staring at her, again, again with that expectation in their bloody eyes. She feel so cold. So tired.

“Tell the soldiers to go home”

Vicious are her thoughts in front of their stunned faces. The fear they try so hard to hide. It feels good. She’s been feeling like that for so long, keeping it all to herself and now they are in face of it.

“We got no plan. Kralkatorrik is too strong. Even if we could kill it, without Aurene, all the magic that it gathered would be released. It’s the end. Let them go home to their family”

She speaks with no emotions in her voice. Factual. Things all of them know. Yet they look horrified. And Caiméilia? Caiméilia can’t bring herself to care. She raise to her feet and head for the door.

“Commander, please…!”

Logan. She stops. Not because of the words but because a paw on her shoulder is holding her in place.

“Hey there old friend. I know losing a fight like that stings but you can’t give up without a fight”

She stare blankly at Rytlock. He’s lowly growling at her, trying to stand taller. Yet his tails flicks with a force she rarely seen in Rytlock. His ears are lower too, twitching. As bad, maybe worse than when Logan stayed behind to protect the airship back in Orr.

It get worse still as she shrugs his paw off and turn to stare at Logan and say her line. Slow and deliberate, carefully articulated. She doesn’t want them to doubt how serious she is about these words. They’ll put it on Aurene’s death, she knows. Hope that she’ll be back. She can’t imagine that.

“I am stepping down from my position. Both as Commander and as Dragon’s Watch unofficial leader”

For a moment. Stillness. All their breaths caught. The ghost she is, the only thing breathing in that moment of silence.

And then they rush their words, all at the same time, all telling her hundreds of things. Nothing more than noise. Until General Soulkeeper get on her paws and roar at her.

“You can’t do that, soldier!”

“You don’t exactly have the rank to stop her from doing it”

Canach’s snark finish to silence the room. Distractely, Caim note he hadn’t protested at all. And then Taimi groan at him while helding her head in her hand.

“Not. Helping. Canach”

“When am I, ever?”

Once, the Commander would have acknowledged the banter with a tired smile. Well she wasn’t the Commander anymore. And so she started walking once more, only for being interpelled, again, by the Steward.

“Commander, perhaps this is a little hasty, we might come up with a plan in the coming days”

The asura sounds so reasonable. And yet. He isn’t. Calling her Commander, still, acting like she plan to stay around.

“You are a bit slow, today, Steward Gixx. I said I was stepping down. Whether or not you come up with a plan, it’s none of my concern”

Caithe stare at her, seemingly wanting to say something, before deciding against it. The Whisper Preceptors are frowning in her direction, probably making plans on how to get her back to the fight. But it’s Gorrik who jump on his feet and place himself between the sylvari. Standing, arms barring her way. Intense and angry.

“Com- Caiméilia... My brother died for this! Aurene died for this! And we…..we need you to keep going!!!“

She tries to care, just for that. Because she remember Blish and his hope. She tries. Try to summon images of her friends, pierced by crystals, corrupted.

It does nothing.

There’s no panic, no anger, nothing.

“You’re short of a few hundred names, Gorrik”

Caiméilia walk past him without hesitation. Leave what has been her whole life without so much of a look back. She’s tired of carrying ghosts. Tired of trying to breath while sinking in cold waters. Tired of the way the whole world weight her down. All while judging her for being a sylvari.

Everything come tumbling down eventually anyway.

If she keep trying like that, she’ll drown.

In truth, maybe she already did.

#Soooo that was that #lws4 spoilers #all or nothing spoilers #That isn't exactly my canon #more a if I take the canon game content at face value and consider that they're is no emotional talk outside of it AU really #So this is really a worse case scenario where no one tried to help Caim process with her grief #and the wa everything fucks up the moment she get to it as of late #Or more like no one managed to get past her twenty layers of they won't care I'm just a hero #Because at least Canach tried #but anyway #im rambling #my writings #Caiméilia

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absynthe--minded · 5 years

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Arena?

Short Opinion: Why does Kirk keep letting aliens dictate whether or not humans deserve to exist? (And why does Roddenberry keep coming back to this theme?)

Long Opinion: Oddly enough, this is kiiiind of a precursor to Next Gen’s long plot about Q testing humanity and finding it worthy of surviving. Kind of. In a very strange sort of way. The whole “okay, you’re stripped to your basic instinct, Now Fight For Your Life” thing is a little over the top though.

This is another episode that I actually read as an adaptation before I saw it (thanks again, James Blish!) and seeing Kirk think his way through how to beat the Gorn was the best part of the story. Watching Kirk attempt to beat up a guy in a rubber lizard man outfit is not nearly as suspenseful but is far more entertaining.

Honestly I don’t have a lot to say really other than “watch this episode”. It’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s got a ridiculous 60s fight scene with a lot of Kirk Fu.

Final Thought: “Well I put both hands together/And swing like I’m holding a bat/And then I duck when he swings at me/Karate chop him in the back/I don’t know how I’ll win/But I’ll tell you what I’ll do/For the greater good of the Federation and the name of the Enterprise crew/I’m gonna kick his ass!”

#to boldly go again #star trek tos #replies #star trek reviews #monstrousgourmandizingcats

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i-have-a-wonky-eye-too · 6 years

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Okay so could I request a Natasha smut where the rest of the team are getting sick of walking in on reader and Natasha so tony gets everyone together and challenges reader and nat to see how long they can go without having sex and all the team place bets

Open relationship...

Warnings: f/f oral, f/f sex, swearing

"Fuck-" you gasped loudly, rolling your hips against Nat's face. The hot water from the shower cascaded over your bodies adding to the simulation. "Nat, please." you begged as your hand tangled into her hair.

She'd had you on the brink of an orgasm for what felt like hours now. Nat smirked up at you as she lapped at your folds, enjoying the state of blish she was putting you in.

The patter of feet slowly getting louder caught your attention just as you were about to reach your high. "C’MON!” Steve shouted as he walked in, he left just as he entered.

You quickly pushed Nat away blushing. “Are you serious, right now?” she sighed getting to her feet. “He’s walked in on us before.” she laughed at you.

You rolled your eyes at her. “It’s still embarrassing, Nat.”

“ENOUGH!” Tony shouted as he walked into the kitchen where you, Nat, Bucky and Peter sat, followed by an eye rolling Steve and a laughing Sam.

“Tony, I thought we were going to be subtle?” Steve sighed deeply.

Tony shook his head. “Pssh… this is better.” he smirked at you. “You two, and the pussy eating-” he waved his hand between you and Nat. “Stop it!”

You raised your eyebrow at him. “What?”

“What Tony, is saying, Y/N, is- hmm, when you two are, you know… doing, you know-”

“Sex?” Peter asked only to receive a slap to the back of the head. “Sorry.” he muttered before he gathered his books and disappeared out the room.

Nat smirked as she folded her arms over her chest. “Is this about you walking in on us, Steve?”

Steve cleared his throat nodding. “As a matter of a fact, yes, it is.” he nodded, standing up a little taller.

Sam chuckled at his friend’s awkwardness as Tony rolled his eyes. “This is about you two not being able to keep it in your pants.” Sam smirked.

Nat sighed getting to her feet. “You make it sound like we have no control.”

“Well, do you? I’m always walking in on you two getting steamy.” Sam sighed deeply.

You moaned as you ground your hips against Nat as you straddled her lap on the sofa. Everyone was out, except the odd Avenger fluttering around, so you and Nat were having some ‘alone time’ on the sofa watching a film which you had abandoned to have a mini make-out instead. Her hands held your hips as the two of you kissed each other passionately.

Nat pulled back grinning up at you. “You naughty girl. You’re getting wet, aren’t you?” you nodded giggling as you rubbed you pantie clad pussy against her thigh again. You moaned as you felt your clit nudged against her.

“OH, C’MON!” Sam shouted as he walked into the living area. “Do that in your room!”

You sighed shaking your head. “From your internet history, Sam, I thought you’d enjoy a little girl on girl grinding.” you smirked knowingly at him.

Bucky burst out laughing as he held his hand up in the air for you to high five, which you did proudly. “He’s only complaining because he knows he can’t handle two girls at once.” Bucky winked at you making you blush and look away.

Nat rolled her eyes as she sat back down with a fresh drink. “Why, are you three coming to us now?”

Tony pointed at you both. “We think, you can’t stop yourselves.”

Steve shook his head. “No, we were hoping, you could just, taim it back a little.” he smiled softly at you, hopeful that you and Nat would be nice to him.

“Taim it back? What do you think we are, wild animals?” you creased your brow at him.

Sam nodded. “Sometimes, yeah, you kinda are.”

“AH! AH! AH, NAT!” you cried out as Nat’s hand connected with your bare ass. She had you bend over the edge of the bed, naked and bound as she spanked you. She was punishing you for breaking her no touching rule whilst she was on a mission.

“Oh, baby, I love it when you beg.” she chuckled as she soothed your bright red ass cheek before smacking your cheek again. “So good for me… look at that pussy, leaking for me.” she moaned as she plunged two fingers deep inside you making you cry out.

“OH FUCK!” you moaned as she fingered you for a few moments before removing them.

“On your back.” she commanded as she pushed over until you were settled there, your hands behind your back, knees bent. “Ready to cum, baby?” you nodded moaning as she settled her already wet pussy over your mouth. She tasted delicious as you began lapping at her folds. Nat closed her eyes as she rolled her hips slowly. “So, good.” she bit her lip. “God, gonna rub my pussy all over you.” you moaned loudly into her cunt. “YES!” Nat pushed your legs apart as she settled between them and began rubbing her wet pussy against yours. “FUCK!”

“OH GOD, FUCK, YES!”

“FUCK!”

“OH FUCK!”

“AGH! SHIT!”

The pair of you cried out as you came loudly; attracting the unwanted attention of your fellow Avengers who had taken it upon themselves to burst in your room to check you were okay. Sam stared at the scene shocked as was Wanda, never thinking you and Nat were so kinky. Steve’s face turned bright red before he pulled a rather excited Tony and wanting Bucky out the room, commanding everyone else to leave too. And Thor just commended the pair of you as he left, explaining that on Asgard it was nothing new.

“Three times this week. THREE!” Tony huffed out.

Nat sighed deeply. “Point?” she growled getting impatient with the trio.

“We want to make a bet.” Tony smiled proudly at his idea.

You nodded slowly. “Go on.”

“We bet, the pair of you can’t refrain from having sex.” he grinned.

You sighed dropping your head into your hands knowing this wasn’t going to be fun. When Tony wanted to make a bet including Nat, she went overboard with making sure she wins. After hours of talking and agreeing; you, Nat, Tony, Steve, Sam and Bucky had a bet made. You and Nat had to go as long as you possibly could without having sex; no touching, no kisses more than two seconds, no orgasms self made or otherwise. And thanks to Sam’s big mouth anyone could try and entice you into failing as everyone was now placing bets.

You walked out of your en-suite, sighing happily as you wiped the water from your face. You’d just had a shower (one of the quickest ever) after yet another training session in the gym with Steve. One of the pro’s of the no sex thing was you were getting a hell of a lot more stuff done. One of the cons was not having sex; one week, two days and seven hours and the total was up to $700 and Sam doing your paper work for a whole month. It had been the longest week of your life. Usually when you went more than three days without se it was because of a mission but somehow you always managed to ‘relieve’ some tension but this time you couldn’t. So you were thankful when Fury had said Nat was absolutely necessary for this mission; it gave you some space.

“Well done for today, Y/N.” Steve smiled as the pair of you walked into the kitchen for dinner.

You smiled at him. “Thanks, Cap.”

“Any plans for tonight?” he asked as the pair of you began moving round the kitchen together, making yourselves something to eat since most of the others were out or too busy working to eat with you.

You sighed shaking your head. “None. Nat’s, off on a mission with Wanda. All alone.” you shrugged.

You were. Vision was Nat and Wanda, Sam was out on a date, Bucky was off doing paperwork and what not with Bruce. Thor was off being King, Clint was doing his dad duties and Tony was down in his lab not listening to anything anyone says.

Steve nodded clearing his throat. “Well, I mean, we could, hang out.” Steve shuffled on his feet by your side.

You nodded smiling at him. “Yeah, okay. Shall we watch a film or something?”

He nodded again. “Yeah, okay.”

Once you and Steve had made and eaten your dinner together, you moved to the living area with a bottle of wine and some beers and stuck a film on, chatting with each other now and then. As more alcohol was consumed the less of the movie you watched.

You covered your mouth to try and hide your laugh as you retold a story to Steve. “So, Nat said nothing happened between her and the guy and I believed her, until-” you giggled shaking your head. “Until she walked off towards the bar and I noticed that her dress-” you covered your mouth again still laughing. “... was, tucking into her underwear and her butt cheek was on show for everyone to see.”

Steve dropped his head back laughing loudly as you fell forwards onto his lap laughing, almost dropping your beer. “Wow.” Steve chuckled at the thought of Natasha making a fool of herself. He wouldn’t admit it out loud but he kind of liked the idea of her. Actually, he liked the idea of both of you; it was one of the reasons he hated walking in on you, it reminded him of something he could only ever dream of. “Wow. I can’t believe she did that.” you nodded sitting up now practically on Steve’s lap. He smiled as he wrapped his arm around your back. “And, you were okay with her doing that?”

You nodded sighing softly. “We’re, open about our relationship.” you shrugged as your fingers began fiddling with his shirt.

Steve nodded looking down. “Why? Shouldn’t two people who love each other just be, together?” you shrugged again biting your lip. “Do you, love, her?” he asked raising his hand to brush your hair back from your face. “Y/N?”

You leaned forwards pressing your lips against his in a hard kiss; one hand tangling into his blonde locks and the other pulling at his shirt. At first Steve was shocked but thanks to the beer he felt more confident than he would usually so he kissed back after a couple of seconds, his hands pulling you closer to him as he moaned into your mouth. You opened your mouth letting his tongue into your mouth, moaning at the feeling of him.

Throat clearing - you pulled back from Steve quickly to look over your shoulder, your eyes widening when you saw Nat stood there with her arms folded. “You lose.” she smirked at you.

“What?” you frowned at her sitting up.

Nat licked her lips as she stepped closer to you, bending at the waist to come eye level with you. “That kiss was definitely longer than two seconds.” she winked. “I guess that means we can do the other things now. I mean, unless your not busy” she stood back up glancing behind you to Steve who was sat back watching the pair of you.

You nodded biting your lip, standing up to face her. “We could, always do those things with Steve, too.” you grinned turning your gaze to him along with Nat.

“We could.”

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gumnut-logic · 6 years

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Favourite Character Meme

From @the-lady-razorsharp

Rules: Name your ten favorite characters in any fandom, then tag ten friends to do the same.

Okay...

Jim, John, Jack, John, Michael, John, Tony, and Virgil. Hmm, that’s not ten, but these are the only ones up there on a pretty much equal standing.

Jim Kirk - Star Trek: The Original Series & The Alternate Original Series. This is my original fandom. This is where is all started. The first fandom I encountered way back in 1986 (and yes, I am halfway through my lifespan, told you I never grew up :D ). He was in my first fanfic (which will never see the light of the internet because omigod bad - though you can see my second one - Goodbye, Spock - both of which were physically printed in my local club’s fanzine all those years ago). My history with ST is a little different to some. I entered through the James Blish books as at the time the show was not being shown on TV at all, videos were scarce and expensive and ST was not trendy, not at least until ST:TNG came to play a few years later (well, try four years, it took forever for anything to get onto this side of the planet back then). Fortunately there were books in libraries and I was an avid reader (and as a budding librarian, I had my ways :D ). So due to this, William Shatner wasn’t in the equation when I first met Jim Kirk. In fact, when I first saw ST:TMP I stared at the screen and asked what TJ Hooker was doing in the captain’s chair?!

Jim Kirk is your typical hero. Sacrifices himself to save the day, has great friends who would do the same for him, and a honkin’ great big starship to back him up. What’s not to like? :D

John Crichton - Farscape In the early 2000s before the new Battlestar Galactica changed sci-fi storytelling for good, Farscape was at the forefront. It bent the rules that BG later broke completely and that single astronaut stranded on the other side of galaxy found himself in a world nothing like the safe Star Trek he probably grew up with.

John Crichton is a geek, but a geek with spine and a good set of leather pants, long black jacket and a big gun to match. At heart he was a gentle scientist, but he was forced to adapt and kick ass. But through everything something in him stayed true and the world around him which at first found him simply a weak oddity eventually mapped itself to him. His weaknesses became his strengths, his associates of suspect motivations became his loyal friends and together they took on the universe.

And the leather, c’mon...

Jack O’Neill - Stargate SG-1 Oh, poor Jack. Stargate fandom was where I truly waded into fandom. I started really writing here back in 2003 (yes, I’ve been on FF.net that long). I met some fantastic friends through Stargate that had both me and them travelling thousands of miles to meet each other. It was also where I learnt to whump. As I said, poor Jack :D i wrote my first novel length fic in Stargate all 75,000 words of it. Took three months, most written by hand as I couldn’t type fast enough - by the time I finished it, I could touch type.

Jack is the only character I can claim to still be older than me, just (it was a momentous year when I passed Jim Kirk’s age of 34, our characters are forever young, we are not). He is the goofy colonel, typical tough guy with a soft heart, but will of steel who always did what he thought was right, willing to make the necessary sacrifices just like Jim Kirk, and again with the team who would all do the same for him.

John Sheridan - Babylon 5 Okay, I admit it, I was a Scarecrow and Mrs King fan long before Bab 5 was even dreamt up. but the beard in season 4 that did it :D I’ve never written in this fandom, basically because it is pretty much a closed loop story and the actual show did a pretty good job of venturing where fandom would have gone anyway :D

John was another military type with a strong moral backbone (would you believe that I’m not a military type, but all these guys seem to be - what that says about me, I don’t know :D ). Again he is soft around the edges hence the whole Delenn storyline. Maybe for me it is a combination of kickass, doing what is right and squishy insides :D

Michael Knight - Knight Rider I loved Knight Rider as a kid and in 2004 when I discovered the tiny little KR writing fandom online, I instantly fell in love. Real Life at the time was a bit of a challenge and KR was a haven for me. I wrote a lot of KR fanfic and it and the people I met in that fandom still hold a special place in my heart. Michael and Kitt saw me through some tough stuff and I returned the tough onto poor Michael. If I was feeling awful, he got it. I used my writing as a vent zone and managed to create something out of it. This was also the fandom that introduced me to RP. And yes, I RP’d Michael Knight, you can find my long abandoned journal here. I also managed a bunch of other characters including a several hundred year old version of KITT.

I really should say Michael and Kitt, because just like Kirk and Spock, one character isn’t much without the other. A hothead ex-cop who, once again, has a moral core to stand up for the small guy and drives a smart car, literally. The both of them together are quite capable of kicking ass. A not so typical buddy cop show with so many writing possibilities. I built up my writing skills in this fandom and eventually started writing original works (which were all brought to a grinding halt by the event of motherhood in 2008, thus followed the lack of writing for the following 10 years...until a month ago).

John Sheppard - Stargate Atlantis I’m mentioning this John because I fell into SGA quite hard about three years ago, but with the exception of one unfinished attempt at fic (which you can find on FF.net), i haven’t really written anything in this fandom. I like a bit of John and Rodney interaction and because I know SG-1 so well, and John is really just a younger version of Jack in many ways, it was inevitable.

John is military (again ::sigh:: ), but not military. He breaks the mold and tends to be just outside what he should be. Again a softy, not as confident or as steely as Jack O’Neill, but with his own code and strengths.

Tony Stark - Marvel Cinematic Universe Well, in all that writing desert, this is where I have been. There is enough fic in that massive fandom to keep an addict fed for years, literally, I’ve tried it. I have never written any Avengers fic. There is no need to, and really with young children, a job and a small business there really wasn’t time.

Tony Stark is a geek with money. He has troubles, he’s socially messed up in places, but under it all he does his best. He cares, sometimes too much, and is willing to step up to do what is necessary. He is far from perfect and he screws up big time, but he continues to try. There is also a load of angst and whump attached to this poor character, even in canon. (I think the last movie sent me into shock, I really shouldn’t have seen it while recovering from appendicitis, it hurt). And he is not a soldier, he has made that perfectly clear.

Virgil Tracy - Thunderbirds Are Go And here we are today. About a month a go this fandom hit me like freight train and in the process revived my writing skills, created this journal and drew me back into fandom. I still don’t have time to write, but somehow I have.

Out of all the characters above, Virgil is the most different. He has an artistic side which I can understand, being an artist myself (no, I don’t play the piano or any other instrument, unfortunately). He’s a softy, he’s kind, a bit of a dork, he’s calm (much unlike all of the above), he has four brothers he would do anything for, is certainly well built for a cgi character...and he drives a big honkin’ aerotank :D Pairing him up with Scott leads to interesting conversations and the whumpfactor...I’m so sorry, Virgil. But I think at the core of it is the hero again. The Tracy boys go out to save people. There are no guns, no animosity, they are just trying to help because they care. And who couldn’t fall in love with that?

I’m not going to tag anyone, but feel free. it is an interesting way to share info about yourself :D

#fandom #fanfiction #jim kirk #john crichton #jack o'neill #john sheridan #michael knight #john sheppard #tony stark #virgil tracy

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freackthejester · 7 years

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What Freack is reading:

I have not done one of these in a while, and I also have 20 books out of the library. This is too many books to fully read all of them but the fact that this costs me no monies is the beauty of libraries.

So here is a list of all the books I have out, organized by height, starting with the shortest.

- Robotics: A Very Short Introduction Alan Winfeild, short little book about robotics that I am reading to get some ideas for an AI character I dream of writing someday. It is from the Oxford series of Very Short Introduction books, which a pretty handy. I have read two others already, and the tiny overview is exactly what I need. [~30% complete]

- SPOCK MUST DIE! James Blish, an original series Star Trek novel. So far it is that episode where there become two Kirks in the transporter accident, but with Spock instead and I like it. [~8% complete]

- INTERCOURSE Andrea Dworkin, I need to read this, but it is pretty heavy and I have not been feeling it yet. [not even done with the foreward yet, and she already got me all riled up]

- Wobblies & Zapistas: Conversation on Anarchism, Marxism, and Radical History: Lynd & Grubacic, What the title sounds like. A lot more actual person on the street information that I generally get out of books on these topics, which is what I want. [~12% complete]

- Toward the Future Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Suggested in a book I read on Utopianism. Not started yet. It has a pocket in the front for the pre-digital organizing system, and smells really nice. [0%]

- NO LOGO Naomi Klein, A boyfriend of a friend of mine said that this book changed his life and he has a very marked up copy. It is about the history and power of branding. Sometimes it is tough to get through stuff where the author is not assuming that I am already coming from a super anti-capitalist position, but it has a lot of good solid information. [~5% complete]

- Earthsea: A Wizard of Earthsea Ursula Le Guin, This was suggested by a Youtube guy I like, because he said the tv series was singularly awful. Not started yet.

- Boxers Gen Luen Yang, Author of American Born Chinese which I loved. This is a graphic novel about the Boxer Rebellion, and part of a set of two. I know nothing about Chinese history or culture or, like, anything. I am hoping that this will be a good step in to learning more. Of course, it would help if I could actually, like, finish a book in this lifetime. [~25% complete]

- Neuromancer William Gibson, A classic, basically started the cyberpunk genre. Not even started yet.

- Depression Folk: Grassroots Music and Left-Wing Politics in 1930s America Ronald D. Cohen, nice descriptive title, I think it gets the point across. I am so behind, I mostly plan on skimming through for music recommendations since I have no renewals left of it. [~9% complete]

- This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All Marilyn John, One of the few I have actually gotten a lot through, and I think that is because it is just so good. I look to the idea of libraries as organized information hubs and a way to share resources throughout a community as a potential way to set things up in a non-capitalist way, so this appeals to me a lot. Very personably written. [~46% complete]

- Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language David Richardson

- English Esperanto English Dictionary John C. Wells, I am combining these two. I am so behind on my Esperanto studies, and the books are actually due soon, even though you can renew things seven times if no other patrons request it. I am getting the hang of the language and the grammar, and the vocabulary is fairly easy to pick up. I just need to get my ass in gear and make some flash cards and really practice, and you can guess how hard that is going.

- Dialect Diversity in America: The Politics of Language Change William Labov, I really really love this subject. He starts right out with the argument that language is actually diversifying more in the US rather than homogenizing, and has whole chapters on AAVE and I am so upset that I have not gotten further in this yet. [~10% complete]

- Myxomycetes: A Handbook of Slime Molds Steven Stephenson & Henry Stempen, I read a book recently about fungi that was super interesting, if a little technical for me to understand all of, and the author had one on slime molds as well. It really piqued my interest in trying fungus-cultivating techniques again, and I got this book when I planned on re-building my slime mold cultures. I am waiting to get the spare room space set up before really diving into this though, so it sits unstarted.

- The Fifth Sacred Thing Starhawk, I saw this author yesterday! I asked her a question after her speech and everything! So far the book is interesting, built around the idea that there is a tiny refuge culture of ecotopian spiritual ultra feminist super diverse nature loving hippe witchy good times in the mid 21st century, after a world wide collapse, surrounded by a teeming awfulness that is modern society but moreso. I am barely started, but do plan on finishing it. I have a tough time with spirituality, but the world building is good and hopeful, and I should get over myself a bit. Long though, going to take some time, especially considering that (since the author visited and all her books are on hold by half the town it seems) I have no renewals at this time. But I can just put it back on hold once I return it, and finish it later, which is probably how I was going to end up reading it anyway, so that is fine. [~13% complete]

- Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis J. D. Vance Suggested to me after I pointed out to someone that it was not that working class white people were dumb so much as it behooves those in power to keep them uneducated. When I put this on hold there were about 30 people in front of me, so I am hopeful that it is good. [Not through the introduction yet, but I did just check it out last night]

- Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People; WHy Darwin Was Wrong About Sexual Selection Joan Roughgargen, Suggested by @e-cryptid (well, she posted an excerpt and I liked it). A lot of my reading recently has been about animal intelligence and diversity. I like the idea of a book about biology that will treat my existence as a benefit to the species and not just something that is not quite bad enough to be wiped out. [~4% complete]

- Bicycle: The History David V. Herlihy, I got a bike for Easter, and want to be able to fix it up myself. I tried looking at some books on maintenance and repair, but a lot of even the beginner guides were going over my head. So I am taking a different track and learning about the history and the invention of all the individual parts and the discoveries of the scientific principals behind what makes the cranks go. For my brain, this is the best way in to learning about the whole modern machine, and so far this is a really good book to start with. It contains a lot of pictures, particularly of all magazine ads and cartoon relating to early bicycle-like things, and the machine has a truly fascinating history. If you like cars, or technology, or the French, or learning about how capitalism can ruin everything even back in the 1890s, learn about bikes. [~45% complete]

And finally, the tallest book I have checked out currently:

- The Curious World of Carnivorous Plants: A comprehensive Guide to THeir Biology and Cultivation Barthlott&Perembski&Seine&Theisen, What I have learned so far from this book is that I probably should not be trying to cultivate any carnivorous plants any time soon, because they take more experience than I currently have. This book is a very useful overview (one of the only ones according to its own introduction), but probably better reading for people who like reading dense sciency stuff or already know a bit on the subject. Great pictures. [~27% complete]

Considering that I spent the time writing this all out instead of reading anything should give you an idea as to how likely I am to ever finish all of these. But You do not have to finish everything. I have put in the effort recently to forgive myself for just skimming sometimes. Especially with non-fiction stuff. If a particular chapter or specific subject is not what I am into, I skip it. Why not! Life is short and I am honest with myself about the fact that I aim to have a passing knowledge of most things, and some people like to master a few things and it will take all types to make the world go round.

#i say stuff #long post

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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Catholic Physics - Reflections of a Catholic Scientist - Part 95

Can there be Ethics without God? The Theology of Science Fiction, Redux 1

INTRODUCTIONLooking at my last post, "Why do we believe...", I thought there were things I didn't say in that that I had said in previous ones, particularly in the series "Theology of Science-Fiction". Also, being preoccupied with some other tasks, I thought it appropriate to repost those with some minor revisions. Let's start out with considering what science fiction (and the Church) have to say about intelligent aliens having a soul.

WHO HAS A SOUL?

"If there are many planets inhabited by sentient creatures, as most astronomers (including Jesuits), now suspect, then `each one of such planets (solar or non-solar)' must fall into one of three categories:

(1) Inhabited by sentient creatures, but without souls; so to be treated with compassion but extra-evangelically.

(2) Inhabited by sentient creatures with fallen souls, through an original but not inevitable ancestral sin; so to be evangelized with urgent missionary charity.

(3) Inhabited by sentient soul-endowed creatures that have not fallen, who therefore inhabit an unfallen, sinless paradisal world;

who therefore we must contact not to propagandize, but in order that we may learn from them the conditions (about which we can only speculate) of creatures living in perpetual grace, endowed with all the virtues in perfection, and both immortal and in complete happiness for always possessed of and with the knowledge of God.' " James Blish, quoting Gerald Heard, from David Ketterer's Covering 'A Case of Conscience'

The quote above outlines what SF might say about the theological state of non-human intelligent life, but it leaves questions to be answered. Certainly one would not try to convert Deep Blue, the computer that beat Gary Kasparov in chess, nor would one send a missionary to the local S.P.C.A. What then is the requirement that one be fallen, saved or in a state of grace? The quote distinguishes between intelligent life with and without souls ("sentient creatures, but without souls"). But what, when it comes down to it, are the hallmarks of having a soul?

I'm going to use some quotes from an earlier post, "Would Yoda have a Soul?" that explore this question.

"The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual... soul refers to the innermost aspect of man, that by which he is most specially in God's image: 'soul' signifies the spiritual principle in man... it is because of the spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and body in man are not two natures united but rather their union forms a single nature." Catechism of the Catholic Church, excerpted from paragraphs 362, 363, 365.

Now that is a complete statement, but it doesn't make the properties of a soul explicit. What do these properties entail -- belief in a deity? a moral/ethical code? wonder about the meaning of it all? As Brother Guy Consulagmo, a Vatican astronomer, put it when discussing alien life:

"Going back to the Middle Ages, the definition of a soul is to have intelligence, free will, freedom to love or not to love, freedom to make decisions..."

And here's what C.S. Lewis has to say:

"By this (rational souls) I include not merely the faculty to abstract and calculate, but the apprehension of values, the power to mean by 'good' something more than 'good for me' or even 'good for my species'." (from Religion and Rocketry in The World's Last Night)

PARADISE NOT LOST

Let's start with C.S. Lewis's magnificent "Space Trilogy" (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength). I won't attempt to reprise the plot or characters (go to the link), but rather focus on the elements that display Lewis's theological construct for his SF universe: a pyramidal theological structure of deity and creatures that seems to be a mixture of mythology and Christianity, as depicted below:

GOD (Maledil, and his son -- the son of Maledil on Thulcandra [earth])

Oyarsa (archangels, Lords of each planet)

Eldila (angels, immaterial beings)

hnau (rational, mortal, material beings)

The Oyarsa, lords of each planet, are very much like the gods of the ancient Pantheon. The Oyarsa of Mars is masculine (but not male), of Venus feminine (but not female), of Jupiter, multigendered, ...[I call to mind Gustav Holst's "The Planets].

On earth (Thulcandra) the "bent" Oyarsa, Satan, has fought God and tempted the first humans to disobey God; thus comes The Fall -- Thulcandra becomes the "silent planet", interdicted from relations with all the others and humans become, like Satan, "bent".

On Mars (Malacandra) there are three intelligent species (hnau)*: the Sorns (Seroni), who are the philosopher/scientists; the Hrossa, who are the poet/musician/story-tellers; the Pfifitiggri, the artisan/engineers. All three species live together in peace, supplying talents and services that are missing in their own species. They have a common language and a common theology, believing in Eldila (who are present to them), the Oyarsa of Mars, and the supreme being, Maledil. They believe in an ordered existence, the rule of God (Maledil) and have no fear of death; they know when they will die and that they will be transported to a Heaven in outer space. The quotes below give a better account than mine:

"And how could we endure to live and let time pass if we were always crying for one day or one year to come back -- if we did not know that every day in a life fills the whole life with expectation and memory and that these are that day?” said by a Hrossa, talking about death.

“They cannot help it,' said the old sorn. 'There must be rule, yet how can creatures rule themselves? Beasts must be ruled by hnau and hnau by eldila and eldila by Maledldil. These creatures have no eldila. They are like one trying to lift himself by his own hair-or one trying to see over a whole country when he is on a level with it -- like a female trying to beget young on herself.” said by a Sorn, talking about the state of Hmans (humans).

The hnau of Malacandra were tempted by Satan, but the temptation was overcome by the Oyarsa of Malacandra:

"Many thousands of thousand years before this, when nothing yet lived on your world, the cold death was coming on my harandra. Then I was in deep trouble, not chiefly for the death of my hnau - Maleldil does not make them long-livers -but for the things which the lord of your world, who was not yet bound, put into their minds. He would have made them as your people are now - wise enough to see the death of their kind approaching but not wise enough to endure it. [emphasis added] Bent counsels would soon have risen among them. They were well able to have made sky-ships. By me Maleldil stopped them." said by the Oyarsa to the scientist, Weston (the villain)

"Yes," said Oyarsa, "but one thing we left behind us on the harandra: fear. And with fear, murder and rebellion. The weakest of my people does not fear death. It is the Bent One, the lord of your world, who wastes your lives and befouls them with flying from what you know will overtake you in the end. If you were subjects of Maleldil you would have peace. " said by the Oyarsa in reply to Weston's comment that they (the Malacandrian hnau) will all die soon.

Here's the crucial theological issue: doing what God wills is not only good for us, but also shows our love for Him. Thus, disobedience in what might seem a small matter --staying overnight on the fixed land, despite His prohibition--is not a small matter, because we thus attempt to assert our better knowledge of how we should act. Ransom (the hero), trying to dissuade the queen from Weston's temptation, argues why God should be obeyed:

"I think He made one law of that kind in order that there might be obedience. In all these other matters what you call obeying Him is but doing what seems good in your eyes also. Is love content with that? You do them, indeed, because they are His will, but not only because they are His will. Where can you taste the joy of obeying unless He bids you do something for which His bidding is the only reason?” Perelandra, p. 59

In summary, the first two books of Lewis's Space Trilogy stress:

the rule of God gives us what is good;

before the fall we would know when we would die, but that we would also know that heaven awaits us, so that "Death has lost its sting";

we show our love for God by obedience to his commands.

OTHER VISIONS

C.S. lewis's vision is that of 3) in the beginning quote, "inhabited by sentient soul-endowed creatures that have not fallen". What about 1) "sentient creatures, but without souls" and 2) "sentient creatures with fallen souls"? I'll discuss the SF examples of these only briefly, because I don't think they make the strong theological points that Lewis's Space Trilogy does.

In category 1) is "A Case of Conscience"**, by James Blish. For plot and further commentary by Br. Guy Consolmagno, the Vatican Astronomer, please use the link. It deals with Lithians, a reptilian species who behave according to an inborn, "hardwired" ethical system, but who have no religious beliefs. They are visited by a team of scientists, including a Jesuit missionary (whence the judgment of Lithian ethics), The missionary concludes that the Lithians are the work of Satan, created as a convincing argument that belief in God is not necessary in order to behave ethically, as humanists and atheists propose.

Can one imagine intelligent, self-aware beings not wondering about the purpose of their lives, how everything came to be, putting forth the "why" questions? Thus the basic premise of the novel does not seem very plausible to me. And perhaps the injunction given in the beginning quote, "to be treated with compassion, but extra-evangelically", might have been the better course (although destructive of the novel's plot).

In category 2) are "The Sparrow" and "Children of God", by Mary Doria Russell. It deals with the interactions of a Jesuit priest (again the Jesuits!) with two alien species who are sentient, but with a faulty moral code. Critics have argued that the works deal with "faith under fire". That may be so, but there are no good theological arguments put forth. Indeed, the Jesuit missionary loses his faith after being tortured and sexually abused by the dominant species; there is no vision of redemption or suffering for Christ.

There are other instances of alien intelligences adapting or transforming the Christian religion and interacting with the Church, given in references here. Most have a strongly anti-religious bias. An extreme example is that given by George R.R. Martin in "The Way of Cross and Dragon". A huge cephalopod is an Archbishop of the transformed Church, "The One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds", who sends an Inquisitor out to determine whether a cult promoting the "Gospel According to Judas Iscariot" is heretical. The tone of the short story is anti-religious --the Inquisitor is successful in prosecuting the heresy but loses his faith, becoming convinced that he is the Prince of Liars.

MORE TO COME

Finally, what about souls, ethics and belief in God for non-biological entities -- computers, robots, biological intelligence implanted into brains?

I'll deal with what science fiction has to say about this in a forthcoming post.

NOTES

*Images of the creatures in the Space Trilogy can be seen in the following links:

Hrossa, Pfifitriggi, Sorns (Seroni)

**A detailed literary and theological analysis of "A Case of Conscience" is given in Ketterer's Covering "A Case of Conscience".

From a series of articles written by: Bob Kurland - a Catholic Scientist

#catholic physics

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queer-as-used-by-tolkien · 3 years

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First attempt at drawing? No

First time posting? Yes

Am I BAD at drawing people? YES (especially asura)

Posting anyway? YES

[Image ID: human Commander imparts wise advice to Gorrik while standing in the rain. There are no stars tonight but They watch over us just the same.] (Gorrik is the faint, purple blob to the Commander's right.)

----

Gorrik knew it instantly when the Commander, leather armor rent and Caladbolg askew on her back, returned from the Mists without Blish. He ducked his head and stared at his receiver. "You did it, Commander! We're receiving a signal from the tracker!" He feigned cheerfulness well. But those who knew him - Blish would have known, Taimi might know - would see he was blatantly ignoring the obvious. You did it, Commander.

But Taimi could never look away. "Wait... where's - "

Gorrik couldn't listen to her. "I had my doubts about whether the sword's magnetic pull would - "

Commander interrupted him. Gorrik barely felt the flash of irritation that would normally have occasioned. "Gorrik, there's something I need to - "

Gorrik talked over her, because he knew, she didn't need to say it, couldn't she let him - ? " - would still be functional, but, like always - " Gorrik pressed through the tightness in his throat, but he can't help it - "Blish was one hundred percent correct. I don't - "

"Listen to me!" Commander insisted.

Couldn't she see he was grieving in his own way? " - don't know how I ever doubted him!" his voice jumped slightly higher and Gorrik couldn't hide it anymore - "Blish can do anything he puts his mind to..." he was still staring at the receiver, but his eyes were closed and holding back tears.

Taimi, now. "Gorrik. Please."

It was her voice, devastated, lost, ruined, that broke it for him. Blish had had so much to live for. After a long moment - "did he say anything?"

"He said he's sorry."

Light fractured around the corners of Gorrik's vision - the Commander's gaze held pity and Taimi's eyes were on the floor and her ears were quivering, and he wasn't sure if he was angry or - or proud or selfish or missing or lost - "but I saved him."

It was too - there were too many people. Too much. They didn't know him - couldn't understand him - hadn't spent hundreds of late nights attempting the impossible for his dying brother -

He left.

"Gorrik, wait," Taimi called from behind him, sounding less despairing and more confused and uncertain, but Gorrik couldn't stop. He couldn't stay. He couldn't -

He was on the other side of Sun's Refuge, in the silent halls and tunnels near the entrance where there were no people, before he slowed down.

A breath of wind stirred in the close tunnels; nothing should be here. Gorrik looked up but saw nothing. "Blish," he murmured, and his heart quivered in his chest and for one-point-oh-two seconds he believed it just might be his brother, come back - because Gorrik had saved him. He had - there was no - he had no reason to die. He said he was sorry.

What had happened? Had a minion smashed his body? Had he been Branded? Had a Brandstorm disrupted his workings? Had a stray bolt of lightning fried his circuits? He said he was sorry. How did he - ? Was that something he, maybe, had preprogrammed himself in the event of his death? Or did he - had he - had he known he was about to die, because - no, no.

Blish had always been strong. Then he had been so delicate and weak - Gorrik had known every piece of his machinery and it was all his brother, it was all - every cog and gear - it was all Blish. And it was all Gorrik's labor of love. And he was so vulnerable and so, so, so fragile.

All the pieces were. Every one could break and his brother would be disabled, and every time it did Gorrik would drop everything (which he probably couldn't do anyway without Blish) - he would spend agonizing hours and days poking around inside the machinery of his brother's body to find the broken piece without breaking anything else, and fixing it and putting it in and marveling at the miracle that was his brother's life.

Gorrik had known Blish inside and out. Blish had needed it, Blish had appreciated it, Blish had loved him for it, even though it was never perfect and Gorrik sometimes wondered if he ever got used to seeing things through optic lenses and feeling everything bluntly and hearing his voice come out strange, but it all let out in a bigger heart and a kindness and a gentle empathy for everything.

Gorrik had always loved him for it and he couldn't find it in him to wish he wasn't, that it hadn't all led to him dying because he felt too strongly, because that was who he was.

Gorrik wandered the deserted places of Sun's Refuge, avoiding people and staring at where some intrusion of Brand had poked into the cavern, and wondering -

Finally he wandered outside. It was nighttime; and it was raining. Gorrik walked slowly past the Sunspear sentries. A little ways past them, he lifted his eyes from the ground and saw, on a cliff ahead, the silhouette of the Commander standing against the sky, contrasted sharply with the glow of Caladbolg, which she held limply in her off hand.

He didn't know why - something told him to, he felt like he should - but he circled the cliff until he found a way up. It was slippery from the rain and, while it was mostly a gentle slope, at places the way was narrow, or obscured by the scraggly desert shrubs growing in the crevices. But he cautiously went along, stepping carefully and trying not to slip, until he came to the top of the cliff. There were a few dead harpies, and the Commander's companion, Beorn, had curled up under a tree for shelter from the rain.

The Commander had sheathed Caladbolg and her hands were stretched up against the dark, cloudy sky. Her eyes were closed against the rain, but otherwise did not react to it.

Gorrik glanced from the Commander to the sky. There was something, Gorrik knew, that was profound about this moment for the Commander. Gorrik stared at the sky for a moment that stretched and lengthened until it broke:

"My father and my mentor are up there."

Gorrik looked at her and found she had lowered her hands and was looking down at him rather intently.

She said, "Blish is up there too."

These words struck Gorrik like a blade to the heart; his throat closed up and his eyes stung.

He turned his gaze back to the sky. He had no reply. Her words were simple, but they conveyed the powerful: she understood. And she knew something. Up there, beyond the clouds, was where Commander's father and mentor - her deaths, her losses - were waiting. Up there, beyond the clouds, in the same space, was Blish.

Unbidden, the vision of the Commander with her hands reaching, stretching high into the sky. Gorrik's throat went dry in - anticipation? Fear? "What were you doing?"

"Beyond those clouds," said the Commander at ear-height - he looked and saw she'd knelt down on one knee, still staring at the sky - "is a constellation known to the humans as the Hands of Lyssa. The stars form two hands - presumably the hands of Lyssa, pressing down on the world. But they are seen the same from here, from Kryta, from Orr. We touched hands from across continents. That was what separated us then. Now we touch hands across - " now she sighed, a deep, long, sad sigh - "now we reach across world, or dream, or death."

Gorrik looked at the sky and, in his mind's eye, saw beyond the clouds to the shimmering outline of hands, reaching down. Or, in reverse; hands reaching up. Both were true. Both joined at the stars.

"Does it ever - do you ever feel them?"

"As clearly as this," Commander said, laying her hand upon his shoulder gently.

They were there, and he could feel it, because he knew they were there. The Commander wore a glove; Gorrik's own clothing provided an extra layer. They were not actually touching. But they were.

Gorrik lifted his own hand toward the sky, then let it fall, trembling slightly.

"But the clouds - " Gorrik knew he sounded lost, even childish, but he did not care. His hand curled into his chest and he felt a renewed pang of loss. The clouds were the single greatest barrier between himself and his brother.

The Commander closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath; it was not the impatient sigh of an older asura, irritated about his fixation on entomology. It was the slow, peaceful inhalation of someone at relative peace. "There are no stars tonight," she admitted quietly. "But they watch over us just the same."

They, Gorrik knew, did not mean the stars. They meant the Commander's father and her mentor, they meant Blish, they meant - well, the loved ones of anyone who reached to the stars.

"The Olmakhan," Gorrik breathed in new understanding.

Commander nodded, eyes still closed. "They look to the stars for guidance, for wisdom, for help. I look to the stars for comfort and peace."

She meant that everybody saw the stars differently. Gorrik raised a hand against the sky; not as the Commander had done, as if holding the sky up, her hand pressed flat against some surface, but as one searching. His fingertips outstretched, grasping, as it were, through the clouds.

He did not know where the constellation of hands was, but maybe Blish didn't either. Their hands were searching in the dark, and when the clouds parted they would find each other. Or maybe Blish had his hand out, waiting, with that smile of his and the understanding look - which Gorrik had often enough already mentally projected onto the expressionless form of the metal body his brother had been trapped inside.

That look - the one he had seen often in his childhood, the older brother explaining how things worked, watching him figure it out. Later, that soft, understanding, slightly amused look when Gorrik first discovered that there was a whole scientific field associated with bugs. Even later, the look came as Gorrik built a miracle so his brother could live - but it was not amusement anymore. It was pride. Blish would wait for him to find the stars. Whatever that look had held over the years, it had always held patience. And love.

There are no stars tonight, but They watch over us just the same.

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pamphletstoinspire · 6 years

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Catholic Physics - Reflections of a Catholic Scientist - Part 48

Story with images:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/catholic-physics-reflections-scientist-part-48-harold-baines/?published=t

The Theology of Science - Fiction: II Paradise Not Lost?

Yoda, does he have a soul?

(a) Inhabited by sentient creatures, but without souls; so to be treated with compassion but extra - evangelically.

(b) Inhabited by sentient creatures with fallen souls, through an original but not inevitable ancestral sin; so to be evangelized with urgent missionary charity.

(1) inhabit an unfallen, sinless paradisal world;

(2) who therefore we must contact not to propagandize, but in order that we may learn from them the conditions (about which we can only speculate) of creatures living in perpetual grace, endowed with all the virtues in perfection, and both immortal and in complete happiness for always possessed of and with the knowledge of God.' " James Blish, quoting Gerald Heard, from David Ketterer's Covering 'A Case of Conscience'

WHO HAS A SOUL?

The quote above outlines what SF might say about the theological state of non-human intelligent life, but it leaves questions to be answered. Certainly one would not try to convert Deep Blue, the computer that beat Gary Kasparov in chess, nor would one (I hope) send a missionary to the local S.P.C.A. What then is the requirement that one be fallen, saved or in a state of grace? The quote distinguishes between intelligent life with and without souls ("sentient creatures, but without souls"). But what, when it comes down to it, are the hallmarks of having a soul?

I'm going to use some quotes from an earlier post, "Would Yoda have a Soul?" that explore this question.

"The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual... soul refers to the innermost aspect of man, that by which he is most specially in God's image: 'soul' signifies the spiritual principle in man...it is because of the spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and body in man are not two natures united but rather their union forms a single nature." Catechism of the Catholic Church, excerpted from paragraphs 362, 363, 365.

"Going back to the Middle Ages, the definition of a soul is to have intelligence, free will, freedom to love or not to love, freedom to make decisions..."

And here's what C.S. Lewis has to say:

Finally, what about souls for non-biological entities -- computers, robots, biological intelligence implanted into brains? I'll deal with that issue in the next post on this topic.

As we'll see below, SF has treated all these categories

PARADISE NOT LOST

GOD (Maledil, and his son--the son of Maledil on Thulcandra--and the Third)

Oyarsa (archangels, Lords of each planet)

Eldila (angels, immaterial beings)

hnau (rational, mortal, material beings)

“They cannot help it,' said the old sorn. 'There must be rule, yet how can creatures rule themselves? Beasts must be ruled by hnau and hnau by eldila and eldila by Maledldil. These creatures have no eldila. They are like one trying to lift himself by his own hair-or one trying to see over a while country when he is on a level with it-like a female trying to beget young on herself.” said by a Sorn, talking about the state of Hmans (humans).

The hnau of Malacandra were tempted by Satan, but the temptation was overcome by the Oyarsa of Malacandra:

"Many thousands of thousand years before this, when nothing yet lived on your world, the cold death was coming on my harandra. Then I was in deep trouble, not chiefly for the death of my hnau - Maleldil does not make them long livers - but for the things which the lord of your world, who was not yet bound, put into their minds. He would have made them as your people are now - wise enough to see the death of their kind approaching but not wise enough to endure it. [emphasis added] Bent counsels would soon have risen among them. They were well able to have made sky-ships. By me Maleldil stopped them." said by the Oyarsa to the scientist, Weston (the villain)

Perelandra (Venus) is the Garden of Eden before the fall. There is a wealth of plant and animal species inhabiting the sea and floating islands, and over them a humanoid queen and king (albeit green). As in the Garden of Eden, God (Maledil) gives them a paradise but also a prohibition: they may not stay overnight on the one fixed bit of Perelandrian land. Satan sends Weston, possessed by a demon, to tempt the queen to violate the prohibition. Weston is overcome by the agent, Ransom, sent by Maledil to prevent the Fall. After this, there is a glorious dance by the Queen, King and all the fauna and flora of Perelandra to celebrate the coming of a true paradise, Here's the crucial theological issue: doing what God wills is not only good for us, but also shows our love for Him. Thus, disobedience in what might seem a small matter--staying overnight on the fixed land, despite His prohibition--is not a small matter, because we thus attempt to assert our better knowledge of how we should act. Ransom (the hero), trying to dissuade the queen from Weston's temptation, argues why God should be obeyed:

In summary, the first two books of Lewis's Space Trilogy stress:

the rule of God gives us what is good;

before the fall we would know when we would die, but that we would also know that heaven awaits us, so that "Death has lost its sting";

we show our love for God by obedience to his commands.

OTHER VISIONS

C.S. lewis's vision is that of c) in the beginning quote, "inhabited by sentient soul-endowed creatures that have not fallen". What about a) "sentient creatures, but without souls" and b) "sentient creatures with fallen souls"? I'll discuss the SF examples of these briefly, because I don't think they make the strong theological points of the Space Trilogy.

In category a is "A Case of Conscience", by James Blish. For plot and further commentary by Br. Guy Consolmagno, the Vatican Astronomer, please use the link. It deals with Lithians, a reptilian species who behave according to an inborn, "hardwired" ethical system, but who have no religious beliefs. They are visited by a team of scientists, including a Jesuit missionary (whence the judgment of Lithian ethics), The missionary concludes that the Lithians are the work of Satan, created as a convincing argument that belief in God is not necessary in order to behave ethically, as humanists and atheists propose. Can one imagine intelligent, self-aware beings not wondering about the purpose of their lives, how everything came to be, putting forth the "why" questions? Thus the basic premise of the novel does not seem very plausible to me. And perhaps the injunction given in the beginning quote, "to be treated with compassion, but extra-evangelically", might have been the better course (although destructive of the novel's plot).

In category b are "The Sparrow" and "Children of God", by Mary Doria Russell. It deals with the interactions of a Jesuit priest (again the Jesuits!) with two alien species who are sentient, but with a faulty moral code. Critics have argued that the works deal with "faith under fire". That may be so, but there are no good theological arguments put forth. Indeed, the Jesuit missionary loses his faith after being tortured and sexually abused by the dominant species; there is no vision of redemption or suffering for Christ.

There are other instances of alien intelligences adapting or transforming the Christian religion and interacting with the Church, given in references for Part I of this series. Most have a strongly anti-religious bias. An extreme example is that given by George R.R. Martin in "The Way of Cross and Dragon". A huge cephalopod is an Archbishop of the transformed Church, "The One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds", who sends an Inquisitor out to determine whether a cult promoting the "Gospel According to Judas Iscariot" is heretical. The tone of the short story is anti-religious--the Inquisitor is successful in prosecuting the heresy but loses his faith, becoming convinced that he is the Prince of Liars.

MORE TO COME

The next in this series will deal with: can computers, robots and implanted intelligences have souls?

If yes, what then?

*Images of the creatures in the Space Trilogy can be seen in the following links:

Hrossa, Pfifitriggi, Sorns (Seroni)

For References, please see Part I of this Series (Part 47)

From a series of articles written by: Bob Kurland - a Catholic Scientist

#catholic physics

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