Happy Birthday, Dork | Backdated to August 31

[crouching_sin]

Sender: Naoya
To: Everyone
Subject: Birthday boy

My cousin, who recently arrived, has a birthday today. Wishing him a happy birthday is encouraged.

He's 18 now after all. In many places that makes you an adult, Kazuya.

Yes, I know you can see me writing this.

Comments

sorry i had to that bastard bird kicked my ass so hard

[belheir]

[Did he misspell phoenix?]

Yeah that sounds like him to be nosy about other peoples business. What was the pondering if you don't mind me asking?

That bird traumatized a lot of people who ran savage iirc

[beshackled]

Ah, when the phoinix was first being developed, I had wondered to myself whether or not it would be considered its own child were it to be reborn from its own ashes.

Your cousin and I ended up talking about cycles of rebirth and the nuances of reincarnation and how they might apply to the phoinix, whose mechanism of rebirth differs significantly from other living beings.

its a bad animal and the ancients should be ashamed

[belheir]

[... Of course Naoya would be interested in this sort of topic.]

Well, my two cents as someone who doesn't know much about the cycle of rebirth to begin with is that I don't think it would be its own child. I think it'd still be itself as it was before, just new again.

What did he say?

Most unruly murderbirb

[beshackled]

He proposed that, should it not possess a soul -- as those beings we create are not created with souls -- or the memories it once had, that it should be considered a new life, and if it retained the memories that it be considered the same.

[belheir]

[He can't argue with that, but...]

I think even if it has the same memories as it did before, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the same creature. Not that it'd be its own parent, but it's still be a new version of itself, you know? Full of new possibility.

I'm sorry. He's a nerd.

[beshackled]

That I can see easily applying to souls reincarnated after passage through the Underworld into new bodies.

However, the phoinix is an unusual case. 'Tis not precisely a living being in the sense that members of mankind are, or even other creations designed as living beings. But you would be correct that, regardless, it would not be its own parent in the context of a sexually reproducing organism. Nor could it ever fulfill the role of a parent in the social sense.

But this is an involved conversation to be having on the day of your birth, is it not? Or do you enjoy discussing the nuances of creation?

i love erictoni. hes allowed to be a nerd

[belheir]

Sorry, I was more talking soul-wise. That even if its soul was reborn, if it still had the same memories as its previous incarnation that it's still a new being.

[Just like he how he thinks that while Cain might be Naoya, Naoya isn't entirely Cain. Maybe it's wishful thinking, considering his own circumstances. Abel is him, but he refuses to be Abel. Abel is dead and long gone, even if Kazuya has his soul.]

It can be interesting to talk about if I'm not talking to Naoya about it.

not here

[crouching_sin]

[He can see this, you know.]

[beshackled]

From my perspective, both of you put considerable thought into your viewpoints, even if your viewpoints do not completely align.

[Though... mayhap it is because of the emotions tied up in their connection that it becomes more tedious to talk about between them alone...]

[belheir]

Wouldn't be the first time we didn't see eye to eye on something like this.

I know I'm putting up a big stink about this entire birthday thing, but I do care about him.

[beshackled]

And he cares about you. That much I am certain of.

[belheir]

Yeah, I know.

[How much of that is directed at him, and how much of that is directed at Abel though... That's where his concern is.]

[beshackled]

Good. Now, pray go and enjoy your day. And try not to be too hard on him, as much as he might tempt you to do so.

[belheir]

Will do, thanks. I'll resist the urge to give him more than one noogie.

[beshackled]

I know not what a noogie is, but my thanks regardless.

[belheir]

It's me putting my knuckles against his head and grind them against his head to mess up his hair and cause a bit of pain.

Don't feel too bad for him though. Not only can he take it, he deserves it.

[beshackled]

I see.

If that is the extent of it, then I shall not worry.