asgardeventide

Long time, no see, Asgard. The snow is very nice, isn't it?

[And here's a face which hasn't appeared in a while. Jacob stares at the camera with those bright blue eyes of his, voice ever so calm.]

You know, I know that we're still going over what to do about the Freya situation, and whether Freryr can or cannot be saved. It is a difficult decision, and I'll let that topic rest for now, as I know all of you have differing opinions on what should be done.

No, the topic I want to talk about is sacrifice.

[And he sits a little straighter in his seat- it's been a while since he's made such a post.]

Sacrifice that is instigated by yourself is generally considered a noble thing, for it means giving up something that is dear to you in order to do something or allow something to happen that never would occur before. Of course, sacrifice is not an easy thing to do, in practice. You may say you can sacrifice that precious something when the time occurs, but when it gets down to the wire, not many people have the courage to give it up.

So, when somebody goes and does something like sacrifice their life, well...it's rather tragic, it is. For one wonders if there might have been any possible way to avoid it, or if things had been different in circumstance, the person would still be alive...it's not an easy decision for he person to make, but at the same time it's hard for the people around them to witness such a thing.

But really, what I've always wondered is this- how do they know for sure that their own death will bring an end to the problems plaguing them and their beloved ones? Letting yourself die is effectively putting an end to what you can do, and even if you somehow come back as a ghost or spirit, you can only watch to see if what you did was the correct decision. That is why sacrifice is a very touchy thing, because while noble in nature, it could go very easily wrong if you decide its time to let it happen.

[A pause.]

So, is sacrifice worth it? Would you go and sacrifice your own life for your friends or beloved ones, knowing the risks that come with it? Or is it better left as a method of last resort?

What do you think?

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So it was their own selfishness that led them to abandon you?

[And he smiles slightly- it's a simple expression, but then again, that surprisingly ancient quality of his stare is anything but.]

Why shouldn't I care?

Edited 2013-01-29 05:13 (UTC)

They didn't abandon me. They ran.

[And there's totally no part of him that feels abandoned, not by his friends or by his father, or by anyone else in his life. None at all.]

And, I don't know, because you don't know me?

And how is running away from you, leaving you to fend for yourself in this war, anything but abandoning you in a time of need? True friends would stay to help you.

[A slight shrug.] Whether I know you or not has nothing to do with whether I care or not. If I care, I care. That's all there is to it.

They didn't- it didn't happen like that. I was supposed to go with them. I was the one who stayed behind.

[Isaac shakes his head.]

So you just run around caring about complete strangers. That's really believable.

Ah. [Well, that changes things. He thinks about that for a moment, before:] Why did you, then? Stay behind.

[The expression on hid face doesn't even change- there's no annoyance, or disappointment, or attempts to argue, there's just...calm.]

I'm guessing you don't know many people who care about others?

[The calm is unnerving. It always holds back violence.]

Who are you?

I'm Jacob.

[Says that matter-of-factly, as if his name answers the question better than anything else.]

Good for you. Are you a shrink?

Hardly. I'm no psychologist or doctor either, if you're wondering about those as well.

I technically don't even have a "real" profession, in a way. The work I do is done by no one else in the world.

...and what work is that?

I watch over an island.

[An island with the most bizarre things that occur there, including time-traveling bunnies and smoke monsters, but yep, an island.]

Okay...?

[That's still not getting him anywhere.]

So you're a... millionaire or something, then.

[He smiles widely, quietly amused. He's always this frustrating to talk with, you're not the only one.]

Not at all. I never said I owned the island. Nobody does. I merely watch over it.

[Isaac just winds up rolling his eyes.]

Whatever. I answered your question. Happy?

[A slight shrug at the question.]

You never told me why you stayed behind, though.

[Isaac glances away with a heavy sigh, like this is such an inconvenience.]

-they were going to lose without me.

Hmmm.

You wanted them to lose, then?

No, I mean. The people I stayed to fight with. They were on the losing side, you know? Staying... helped. Just enough to let us come out on top.

Look, it's not a big deal, and it wasn't a sacrifice or anything, so it doesn't apply to your question.

I'm just trying to understand the situation, that's all. Now you've explained it more clearly, I finally comprehend what occurred.

But still, it is a sacrifice in a way, isn't it? You're not sacrificing your life, but your time and the possibility of staying out of danger. Sacrifice takes many forms, you know.

Well, yeah, but... I don't know.

[He sort of gives a halfhearted shrug.]

I guess I wanted to do the right thing.

That's very good. Some people don't get the courage to do the right thing.

[He smiles kindly.

...And yet you found it in yourself and went ahead and did it, despite the danger.

Look, you don't know anything about me.

[Defensive.]

So just... I don't know. Keep your opinions to yourself.

[He expects it, really.]

If you say so. But just because you didn't make a sacrifice as big as your life doesn't mean you didn't do something worthy at all. Quite the contrary.

[This whole conversation is making him nervous. Nobody is ever kind without a reason.]

-yeah, maybe. Or maybe I just wanted to knock some heads in. Not really a sacrifice if you like beating up the other guy, now is it?

[He's like god but not really. Reasons for liking humanity aren't even there. He just does what he does because he can.]

Maybe not. But you still went in and helped, you admitted it yourself. Therefore you consider it more than just something you did for fun.

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