(no subject)

[shippingmath]

Who: Dirk and Open
When: the afternoon
Where: Near the Library
Style: Starting prose, but I'll follow.
Status: Open

Today has been a day of training for Dirk.

Not his usual style of training, with a sword or even the puppets he occasionally uses to fight. Nor has he gone somewhere like the forest or the island which have plenty of open spaces appropriate for sparring. Instead, he's spent the day sitting by the front steps of the library. He isn't wearing the shirt emblazoned with an orange hat that is his usual choice, either. Instead, he's wearing a maroon shirt with a pink heart emblazoned on it.

He's also got a stack of books beside him that he appears to be making his way through. By the afternoon, he's been working all day to no effect, so he sets the most recent tome aside and leans back against the steps to get the crick out of his neck. "How the fuck do you even define a soul, anyway." He apparently isn't paying attention to where he is, because the comment is more than loud enough to be heard by anyone passing by.

Comments

[fundemetal]

Leo does a double take when he sees Dirk sitting there in front of the library. Not because he's there or because of what he's wearing (though he does think that maroon is a nice color on him) but because of his comment.

"Dude, what do you need the definition of a soul for?" he asks as he plops down on the step beside him.

[shippingmath]

Dirk sits back up and (carefully) shifts a stack of books, to make more room for Leo to take a seat next to him. Apparently he doesn't mind that his comment was overheard. "Obviously I'm having a crisis of faith and I'm trying to discover what will be left of me after I die."

Except there aren't too many texts in there that are actually religious. A moment later, Dirk confirms it by switching the subject. "Any of us SBURB players explain God Tier to you yet?"

[fundemetal]

"Davesprite mentioned it, but didn't really explain it. He also mentioned something about you being the prince of heart. That got anything to do with the shirt you're wearing?" Leo tapped the heart on Dirk's shirt, as though he needed to explain what he was talking about.

[shippingmath]

It's a good thing that Dirk has come to view Leo as a close friend, and that he's been desensitized to close contact from good friends by living with Roxy for so long. What that means for Leo is that he doesn't even flinch when Leo moved into his space to tap the symbol on his shirt. He just glances down at it and nods. "This symbol is representative of the Heart aspect. There are plenty of different aspects- Hope, void, life, light, wind, space, time, the list goes on. I'll fully admit to knowing jack shit about a lot of them. There were only four players in our session."

"Without going too deep into the mindfuck that is SBURB, God Tier is a power level you can achieve in the game. If you die in the game- and trust me, dying is a goddamn likely thing- on your quest bed, you're granted conditional immortality and cool powers based on your class and your aspect."

[heartandsoul]

[That would be a very deep and ponderous question for anybody.

Anybody that doesn't happen to be from a world where they are saturated with rhetoric about the soul from birth.

Since Maka is from such a world, she's able to reach into her bag and slide over a book regarding Soul Theory into Dirk's vicinity (while keeping his spades relation and her redrom relation from literally tearing into him at the mere sight of his heart emblem.)]

It's just...who you are. Some people define it as a battery that keeps you going, and it's true that if you lose your soul you're essentially dead, but there's way more to the soul than that.

[She recalls having to put it in simpler terms while explaining what a soul is to Mrs. Brisby...though Dirk is more educated than the average field mouse, a lot of people aren't used to talk like this regardless.]

Those of us with Soul Perception can tell what kind of person we're looking at if we see their souls...like if you looked at someone that's stubborn but kind, you'd feel those traits from their soul. Souls have a certain feel, a certain look and a certain "sound", they also reflect your wellness. If you're not taking care of yourself mentally or physically, it shows up on your soul. So I guess it'd be like...a status meter in a video game, in that regard.

[shippingmath]

[Hmm? Oh, apparently he attracted someone's attention with that. He nods in her direction, and reaches out for the book. He doesn't start flipping through it yet, just nods as a thank you and starts listening to the explanation.

(Fortunately for Maka, of course, there is no spade relation.)]

Health bar. Got it. You said "essentially" dead, though. Essentially and actually dead aren't the same thing.

[Soul Perception sounds pretty interesting, but that seems more like a Seer power than anything he would be able to do as a Prince. A topic for another time, maybe.]

[heartandsoul]

Hmm, it's a hard topic to consider. My original homeroom teacher was murdered but brought back as a zombie, so resurrection is possible in our world, though I haven't checked to see if his soul is still tied to him or if that's with Lord Death. It might be a little rude to use Soul Perception on your teacher.

So, it might or might not be possible to "live" without your soul. It's sure possible to live if your soul's been corrupted, though you turn into a monster then. If you destroy or eat someone's soul, though...I think I'd lean more towards you being dead then. Or at least a shell that's not really "yourself" anymore.

[That of course leaves open the possibility of other things creeping into the shell of a human, though she doesn't bring that up. Possession isn't a terribly common thing in her world when Witches aren't involved.]

[shippingmath]

[It's a good thing Dirk is good at taking mental notes, otherwise he would be scribbling away on something right now.]

So, in short, if you destroyed the soul but not the body you'd either make them into a vegetable, or kill them permanently. Sounds pleasant as fuck.

[No, really.]

What destroys or corrupts a soul, then? Other than deterioration of mental and physical well-being.

[stayb100ponyboy]

Equius visits the library pretty regularly, and he exits after spending a pleasurable afternoon reading. He overhears Dirk as he's exiting, and walks over to loom semi-creepily behind him. "It's what goes to the dream bubbles."

[shippingmath]

Dirk glances up and gives Equius a look. The looming isn't particularly appreciated. If it wouldn't potentially break his hand, he'd hit Equius in the leg for it. He goes for a different tactic instead. "Dude, take a seat unless you want me talking to your crotch." He'll deal with the Dream bubble part as soon as he's not straining his neck to look at the troll.

[stayb100ponyboy]

The looming isn't intentional, it just kind of happens sometimes! Equius looks a tad flustered at the crotch comment, but then sits down next to Dirk, moving gingerly so he doesn't crack the library step. "Sorry."

[closedcircuit]

Ky hesitates by the steps, on his way into the library. He hasn't gotten along all that well with Dirk in the past, but this is a question that Ky would enjoy talking about, and he cannot ignore it. Perhaps it can serve as a chance to get off on a better front than they have in the past, and it's at least something Ky has grown more used to facing disagreement over religion.

(While it still bothers him to think of people not accepting the truth, not letting themselves be enlightened, while he can't see a refusal to believe in God as much beyond the sort of thing that hurts, at least it's a personal decision that only affects themselves. At least it isn't as dangerous to the world as a whole as indulgence in science.)

"The only definitions I've heard have been religious in nature," Ky says. "And there it's fairly clear."

[shippingmath]

Neither one is a topic Dirk is likely to ever agree with Ky on, but an opening like that doesn't get Ky any immediate irritation or a refusal to talk. Although Dirk doesn't offer Ky a seat on the steps next to him, he does turn his attention toward him, with a shift of his head and not just looking at him from behind his shades and a blank expression.

Dirk listens, then shrugs. "As far as I've learned, religions explain that shit differently. So you might as well tell me what you believe, to set the record straight."

[closedcircuit]

Ky doesn't move for a seat when it isn't offered, just stays standing. He's used to awkward sorts of interactions anyway, and this doesn't even register as all that odd. "It depends a little on if you're concerned with what is happening with your soul right now or what happens after death. But the soul is the part of you that makes you you, it's your consciousness. It's your spiritual principle, that which was created uniquely by God."

Ky is too used to religious arguments by this point, and his shoulders hunch a little, expecting the derision or refusal of what is clearly the truth.

[bufudine]

[Although Serph doesn't attend to his library job as frequently as he once used to, it still is a job he enjoys doing.

...It isn't usual for people to be buried in piles of books outside the library, though.

Approaching -- not that he has much choice, given Dirk's chosen location --Serph only speaks when he's within conversation distance, though he remains standing.]

What are you searching for?

[He hadn't heard Dirk's outburst, only arriving a bit after.]

[shippingmath]

[In Dirk's defense, he does intend to return them soon, since he's just about done with his piles of reading material. If the way he was looking at them is any indication, they weren't much help.]

A metaphysical dictionary with all the answers.

[He taps the pile of books.]

Or a cheat guide to something called SBURB. Either one would be useful as hell.

[bufudine]

[Dirk's words.







Serph's head.

A pause.]

I don't know much of either.

[A curious tilt of his head.]

What are you looking to learn from them?

[occultaddiction]

The library here was truly a fantastic place! The occult section especially... He was in Heaven. Apparently there had been hundreds of books written since 1871 on the topics of demonolgy, folklore, astrology, herbology and pretty much any other topic he could possibly think of. He'd have reading material for a while. Of course picking a few to take along with him was proving to be the most difficult task of them all.

Eventually he settled on three... four... okay seven books to take home with him. Carrying them out was a bit of a chore, one made slightly more difficult by the books stacked on the steps that he had avoid.

"The soul?" he paused. What an unusual question to ask a perfect stranger. Of course the teen who uttered it was most likely just thinking aloud and he probably should just be on his merry way, "The way it was explained to me is that a soul is like a book. It starts out blank, and then as we grow and live the pages slowly fill up with our memories, personalities, and experiences."

[shippingmath]

It wasn't a question directed at any passers-by at all, but Dirk doesn't ignore the answer, even despite it coming from someone he doesn't know. He glanced at the other boy carrying the huge stack of books out of the library (not like Dirk had any room to judge, he'd amassed a pretty large stack himself. He wasn't taking them with him, though.)

"So according to you, a personality isn't something you're born with." Ah, but that's a tangent. "Sounds more like you're describing a mind, though. Not sure that's the definition I should be working with here."

[bethehugejerk]

[Visiting the library is not an odd thing for Karkat. He likes romance novels, and while he does purchase them sometimes, the library is not without its own stock - if cordoned off in a little section separate of the rest. Which works just fine for him, really; it saves having to search.]

[He did not, however, expect to find Dirk sitting there on the front steps, much less in his god tier pajamas and wondering about souls.]

What the hell are you doing?

[shippingmath]

[Well, not in all of his God Tier pajamas, that would look silly. It's just the shirt. He gives Karkat an unimpressed look that is somewhat impeded by his shades.] Making a fort out of books, obviously.

Research. What else would I be doing?

[bethehugejerk]

[It would, yes. The shirt's still silly on its own, though.]

You look like an idiot just sitting here on the steps. You know you can sit inside at the readily provided chairs and tables, right? That is a thing. It can happen. Or does that make too much sense for you?

[He steps closer, peering over the titles Dirk has selected.]

What's the point of all this research, anyway? You said something about souls?

[fourleafed]

Yotsuba can't read yet, but that doesn't mean that she avoids books or anything. She loves looking at the pictures, which is why she's going to the library that day. She has a habit of digging out books on just about anything and flipping through the pages to look at everything she can. Most recently, books on marine life have been a favorite of hers.

But before she can even get in there, she finds Dirk. And today, she doesn't even try sneaking up and attacking him like usual, since he has books right there and she wants to see what he's looking at. Before she can do that, though, she hears Dirk and is left wondering what he's even talking about. "A soul?"

[shippingmath]

Yotsuba's arrival is a rather welcome break for Dirk, particularly when it doesn't involve and water guns the way it did during the superhero curse. "Yeah, a soul," he says. "You have one of those?"

[fourleafed]

Yotsuba thinks a soul is some kid of food or toy or something, but she's never heard of anything like it before, so she just shakes her head while looking slightly confused. "Daddy didn't get me one," she says, "Are you gonna get one?"