That One Techpriest You Used To Know

My theory is that God exists, and so do Heaven and Hell, even if I'm not the most rabid believer. And, in my defense, I would like to present to the skeptics a theory known as Pascal's Wager, developed by a French philosopher named Blaise Pascal (1623-1662). In short, it is a chart. This chart depends on two facts - either that God is, or that He is not; as well as whether we believe, or we do not. Thus, we get four combinations. If we believe in God, and worship accordingly, and he does exist, then we win in the form of Heaven. If we believe in God, and worship accordingly, and he does not exist, then nothing happens. If we do not believe in God, and ignore Him, and he does exist, then we lose in the form of Hell. If we do not believe in God, and ignore Him, and he does not exist, then nothing happens. So, looking at this either way, choosing to ignore God is a coin flip of oblivion vs. Hell, while worshiping God is a coin flip of oblivion vs. Heaven. One might call me superstitious because of it, but I'll hedge my bets, if you don't mind.

A good answer, Reiko, but let's take this and expand upon it. Nobody ever wants to be a villain. That's like saying someone would just wake up one morning and say, "Oh, boy! I feel like being a dastardly prick today! I shall kick this puppy and and eat this baby, and the world will bow before me!" (That is, unless you happen to be a character or have a personality thinner than a piece of paper.) There are generally two reasons people take up the role as villains, so to speak. The first one is rather boring from a literary standpoint, slightly stereotypical, and tends to be more of a hand wave in literature than an actual reason: the character in question is insane and is incapable of making logical decisions. While you can do great things with an insane character played properly, it tends to be used by itself as justification rather than as a device. In real life, however, insanity is in fact a major reason why things get as bad as they do- people who are incapable of using reason getting into a position where they can do whatever they want. The second reason is much, much more interesting, in that it is logical, reasonable choices made by completely sane, intelligent people, willing to go to extremes to get their jobs done. First off, please remember that nobody ever chooses the worst option. People make different choices based on information they have, or a lack thereof. If asked to kick a puppy and eat a baby, to use the example above, no one both sane and in real life would ever do so- it's just unreasonable! Well, Edge McFaceLord III, Esq. just chose to eat the baby and kick the puppy. Why? Let's throw some theories out there. 1. I know something you don't about this baby and this puppy. What would happen if, say, the baby wasn't eaten and the puppy remained firmly unkicked, they would be ritually sacrificed to a dark god that would help herald the end of reality afterwards? The character in question has knowledge they can apply from outside the context of the question that isn't necessarily shared with others. Which leads into my next point... 2. I'll do it so someone else can benefit/no one else has to do it. Basically, because the 'villain' is making a shameless choice that he will be ostracized for in an attempt to help someone else. He might have just won a million dollars for charity, obtained the cure for cancer, and solved world hunger all at the same time- but he will be forever remembered as the crazy man who just ate the baby. Alternatively, he might make this decision for his friend- if he knows that his best friend, Child Eater Jr., is being pushed by his father to carry out the family business, he might bite the bullet for his friend so that they aren't forced to make the decision. 3. If I eat this baby and kick this puppy, perhaps people will... be my friend? Respect my decisions? Stop asking me if I'll be a stereotypical cartoon villain as part of a survey so I can get back to my studies, goddammit(!)? You'd be surprised what people will do under societal pressure. There's a reason peer pressure exists. 4. I ate this baby so that I could prove that I am the Ultimate Lifeform. Megalomania, narcissism, and egotism can cause problems, even if they aren't bad enough where they fall under the umbrella of insanity. Perhaps they felt that by making this evil choice, they could both boost their self-esteem as well as make others fear and respect them as a superior person for making the hard choice. 5. I find the reactions of others realizing that I have made this choice amusing. What would you do if Edge McFaceLord III, Esq. told you that he just ate a baby and kicked a puppy? You'd probably react with disgust, back away, perhaps even shout something along the lines of, "How could you have possibly done this?" He reacts with a shrug and a smile, for he just had his decision justified for him. This is why the term 'Don't feed the trolls' is a popular internet rule for dealing with provocateurs- if you deny people reactions, their reasoning for making poor decisions just to see the results would be significantly less justify if people aren't reacting to it. 6. I did it because I didn't know what would happen. Ah, curiosity. The natural desire to pursue knowledge, and one I can understand. Say, for instance, Edge McFaceLord has taken some lessons from his best friend's successful father, Child Eater Sr. He tells Edge McFaceLord III, Esq. that babies taste good, after all, and it's not as disgusting as those haters lead you to believe- in fact, child eating has a long history. And kicking puppies is therapeutic- Edge McFaceLord III, Esq. is in college, after all, and he could use the stress relief. So when Edge McFaceLord is presented this choice, perhaps he decides to try it, just once- and then he might be disgusted with himself afterwards, or perhaps, even, he'd start to agree with him. These are flanderized examples, sure, and certainly not all of them, but hopefully they help prove a point.

"Odd... well, this confirms that we aren't the first person here since 2012," Inked murmured to herself quietly as her hands continued to scribble. After a moment, she opened her pack and took out the recorded floor plans to the guest house. "Hmm... well, it looks like there's a living room down the hall. If we can find a generator and a television, then perhaps we'll be able to view it here. Otherwise, it looks like we'll have to wait. Don't think we have the stuff on us to play VHS, unless the camera can somehow?"

@@nx9100, "Well, this is just the guest house. We still have to go and see the state of the barn and the main house and take a look inside before we get started on the recording- just so we don't run into any mid-recording problems like a cave-in that blocks us off and ruins the flow or something. You know, a rehersal. Speaking of rehersals, what say we run one here? A quick fifteen seconds of the trek so far and initial impressions. Random, stand over here with the boom mike, and Blood, pick a chair and sit down. Or stand if you want. Raze, experiment with angles and what you think'll look good here; we'll spend about two minutes messing around before we keep going." "Although I will say..." Quill said, looking up, "I'm not sure how structurally sound this place is. Certainly wouldn't want to be trapped here in a really bad storm. Watch your step."

@@BloodDrops, @@Jack Baker, @@nx9100, "Don't concern yourself about that," she said to Blood Drops, her previously jovial attitude fading away to irritation. "I have plenty more paper, enough for several days of writing like this. And knock off the whole attitude thing. I'm the person who pays everyone, not you. We got our permit to take a look around, and if we need to replace things on behalf of the city, it'll come out of the studio coffers. Or, if you don't knock it off, yours. So stop while you're still drawing a bigger paycheck than the others, hmm?" Readjusting her glasses, she turned around, before saying over her shoulder. "Oh, and if us breaking and entering isn't okay, blatant thievery certainly isn't either, so I suggest you don't go rummaging through everything like a madman and hold yourself to your own standards." Shaking her head, she turned to Raze and Random. "While that might be the best case scenario, I certainly don't see them particularly forthcoming, so we'll have to provide for ourselves." She quickly opened a section of her bulging backpack and withdrew some bottles of water for the group. "Make sure to stay hydrated, especially in a muggy place like this. Afterwards, what do you think, Raze? Should we go straight out the door in search for the main building, or should we go poking around here a bit?"

@@nx9100, @@BloodDrops, @@Jack Baker, "So this place has potential, you say? Great!" Notebook out and at the ready, she started scribbling again. The odd cow corpse effigy is a zebra curse stick- made as a ward against people who disturb it or the area it protects. Hopefully that doesn't include us. DO NOT DISTURB. Continuing to write quickly, she glanced up at the overgrown house. "Well... I'd assume that that's the guest house. Kinda strange that we ran into it before the main buildings, but eh. Could just be the path is overgrown. We can look, but we might need to trailblaze to get there. No one's been around here for a while, after all. We can't expect a path to just... exist."

@@BloodDrops, @@Jack Baker, @@nx9100, One glance at the effigy was all it took for Inked Quill to start scribbling furiously as she took in the sights, the smells, and the sounds. It seemed almost obsessively intense, but soon after, she closed the book again and looked up, her face was slightly less enthusiastic than before. "Well, the property's certainly showing signs of wear and tear, but these obvious signs of vandalism... this whole thing is looking like some teenage prank. I'd hate to meet the teenager that makes effigies out of, not only one cow, but at least four, though..." She shuddered, covering her nose and mouth in disgust. "I don't know much in the field of effigies... Drops, you think this would be a place to start? Assuming people can take the scent, that is... ugh. I wasn't expecting to need the noseplugs."

@@Jack Baker, @@BloodDrops, @@nx9100, "Missing and presumed dead," she parroted after Raze was finished. "If they did escape, they sure didn't tell anyone about it. Besides, with all the disappearances around the area, I'm sure that at least something's there, even if it's not dead. Who knows, there might be some mad scientist in there putting together Frankenstein's Monster! But I'm sure you'll know soon enough if there's any ghosts around that feel up to being around." Taking another draft of her cigarette before dropping on the ground and rubbing it out on the rough, rocky road, Inked picked up the laptop and placed it in her backpack, while also flipping out her notebook once again. "... Alright, then, I'm ready, Raze is ready, and so is Drops. That just leaves..." She carefully picked up the end of the boom mike case and nudged the back of Random's head- perhaps a little too overzealously. "Come on, slowpoke! Let's get going!" Straightening up, she then turned back to Raze. "Everything checks out over there? Spare batteries, functioning lenses? It'll be a shame to break the pacing if we have to come back to the car without having finished."

Inked Quill quietly stepped outside of the car, carrying with her a large notepad and scribbling away with a pen furiously as she nudged the passenger door closed with her hip. "The drive here alone was quite interesting. I'm sure we'll find plenty of interesting things here, even if the house isn't haunted!" Taking a few more notes before slamming the book shut, Quill lit a cigarette and took a drift from it before opening the back doors of the truck and taking out smaller pieces of equipment with her free hand. "Come on, guys, let's get moving!" she spoke loudly to the other members of the crew through the packs and equipment. "The sooner we can get to exploring this metaphorical treasure trove, the better."

This is probably one of the best hand drawn things I have seen. Good job working on it; she looks quite spiffy!

Long songs? 2112 by Rush has always been a favorite of mine.

Alright, I threw my hat in the ring. Even if I don't get (re)selected, best of luck to the fine fellows who do!