(no subject)

[sythyry]

God Poll 1+0: Accanax

It is clear, from the comments, that some of you are ambivalent or downright displeased with the World Tree gods. Well, those of us who are their creations, clients, and playthings sometimes feel the same way. So I will ask a poll about each one. The results, perhaps alas, are not binding.

Accanax

Status:	Creator God, or, equivalently, Verb God
Domain:	Destroc, the Verb "destroy"
Prime Species:	Accanax alone created the Khtsoyis. It seems that this creation was not wholly satisfactory, and so, later, he and Reluu jointly created the Gormoror a few years later.
Appearance:	He sits in the high sky, appearing as a clot of darkness. When he is in a good mood, it is shot through with silver filigree.
Creations:	Accanax is the author of a great many monsters. Now and then, he creates a hundred new species in an afternoon. His creations are generally hasty, awkward, and ill-conceived. They are often stupid, barely fit for life, quite violent, and suffer greatly (e.g., venom bears, whose cheeks are perpetually wounded, meaning that the bears live a life of constant pain.) But they are no less dangerous for all that.
Benefices:	There are plenty of things that ought to be destroyed, and Accanax is just as happy to sponsor their destruction as the destruction of anything else. In my own skyboat, we have a vast source of curses and magical troubles; Accanax has given me a great blessing for breaking curses, or will have given once I get the several weeks to make it.
Commandments:	I've been given as direct a commandment from Accanax as anyone has, namely, "I like what you're doing; keep it up." He is hardly a domineering, all-controlling god.
Job:	Accanax, like the other creator gods, simply maintains his Verb and creates things. The Noun Gods actually keep the universe running.
Dark Trinity?	He's certainly qualified to be in the Dark Trinity.

[Poll #1404897]

Comments

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Just as an additional verification, I find him a very interesting god, as not only does he give you the ability to destroy, which is a very GENEROUS thing when you think about it, he also grants things to use that power upon. While I realize that this seems very cruel, it actually is of a great benefit to your people and to itself, as not only does he provide you with ways to defeat his creations, it also gives you targets that are more acceptable then other primes.

While other people may see this as a bad thing (And for sure, it's not a pleasant thing), I see this as very generous and foresighted of the God. I would hate to see a world where the God of Destruction gave people a way to hurt and break things, and not provide a means to do so without hurting other primes. I think this makes it a very compassionate god, all things considered.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[That's a very interesting, very well-conceived point of view. I am intrigued! -bb]

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Oh, and to add my father's two cents, he draws the comparison to Shiva... just to add to the list.

[terrana.livejournal.com]

Personally, I would describe Accanax using the following, simple phrase: enjoys his job too much.

[stormydragon.livejournal.com]

When I suggested killing the Gods, I wasn't seriously suggesting you should replace them; it was just my sarcastic way of booing at the villains.

Ultimately, the core of drama is conflict; your gods are great at causing conflict, which is why your stories are so interesting.

So while, as a person, I'd like to see the philosopher's colony work out, as a reader I think that would be really boring.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[*grin* Sythyry was interested, at least. Zie suggested this series of polls. For my part, most of World Tree serves dramatic purposes -- but the residents are aware of that to some extent, and not particularly happy about it. Which fact serves the current story arc's dramatic purposes! -bb]

[read-alicia.livejournal.com]

"the residents are aware of that to some extent, and not particularly happy about it."

As created beings, why did the gods not account for this and give them some coping mechanism? Which would make them more alien and lovingly role-playable than they already are. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

[kris-schnee.livejournal.com]

They did -- the capacity for humor!

Here's a question for future polls: how would each of these gods react to someone who performed a satirical puppet show about them?

[rowyn]

It is perhaps unreasonable to judge gods by the standards of mortals. That doesn't actually stop us from doing it, though.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

What standards would you recommend we use?

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

Well, let's see... mortals can be reasonably judged by how horrible the world would be if everyone was like them. Maybe you could judge gods by how horrible the world would be if every god was like them?

It seems like World of Accanax would be full of ill-conceived, hastily-made stuff that would only sort of technically work, but the gods would sit back and let you try to make the best of it. That sounds like a solid 'neutral' to me.

[rowyn]

I was thinking that perhaps gods should be judged by the standards of other gods, so that since Accanax's fellow gods find him mostly suitable (although not entirely, eg, see the part where they make him construct another prime race because his first was really supposed to be a monster) he's apparently good enought for them.

But your suggestion makes sense. And is more appealing than my other thought, which is that gods have too much to juggle to be judged by mortals.

favor

[vik_thor]

(and I hadn't thought of the comparison to Shiva, until Kensan Oni mentioned it, but it does seem to be appropriate. [and me as a semi-devotee to Shiva... but specifically Shiva Nataraja, the dancing aspect. I plead exhaustion.])

It's sort of appropriate that you posted the poll re: Accana today.

I've got a favor to ask of you, or more properly Grinwipey... Could I hire him over in my universe for a few hours, to help us move? We're moving into a 3rd floor apartment, and the hardest part is lugging everything up the two flights of stairs (one full flight to 2nd floor, then 2 half flights to the 3rd...). We do have a balcony, so Grinwipey could just bring it up there...

Re: favor

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

I would be delighted if I were able to send him!

[Good luck moving! -bb]

[winterbeast.livejournal.com]

while Accanax is a God of Destruction, he is not a god of a Hell, as most other destructive deitys are. For there to be a hell for the world tree denizens, much would have to change. I don't think the Gods are willing to go that far. as such, when your body is too old to keep going, it's Accanax that releases you from your pain. in that aspect, perhaps he has a merciful side that only those in pain see.

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

[That's more like Greek Thanatos and Hades than Accanax. Hades' domain includes Tartarus, which is a Hell, but it includes the places of the blessed dead as well. Neither death nor the underworld is Accanax' domain -- there isn't an underworld on the World Tree. Destroc spells are certainly deadly; but Creoc spells can be equally deadly. -bb]

[winterbeast.livejournal.com]

so, is there a God of Death per se? or does Accanax just stand in for it?

I've started to wonder. is breaking wind the destroc of food or the creoc of gas?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

There is not a god of death. (It would make a perfectly sensible Verb -- an antonym of Healoc I suppose -- but it isn't one of the ones we have around.)


Accanax isn't particularly a stand-in, either. Destroc is a fine Verb for killing; Creoc, Ruloc, and Mutoc are equally fine. (Kennoc, Healoc, and Sustenoc are all possible approaches, but harder.)

Or, after death: all the creator gods are gods of death. They take care of the spirits of their creations, storing them until reincarnation.

For your other question: I imagine it could be arranged in a variety of ways, but best if it were not.