Post #3 | 30-6-2023
Andre’s household (by C. D’Laurel)
Andre's household huh… If I were to describe them I’d say they’re a relatively small upper middle class household in Eastern Diatar. Mister Andre was a governor of some sort. Joseph speaks little of his position, so it was most likely an unremarkable one. He did tell me that they were descendants of notable warriors, ones that fought in the resistance against the Geordeni. I suppose they made a name of themselves and secured a pretty good living for their predecessors.
However, Andre died quite young. He left behind several young children, his two parents, wife and sister. Joseph was barely old enough to grow a ‘stache. Any fortune they have had seems to be running out right then.
Joseph was their firstborn. A gifted child, I’d imagine. His mother sold land to fund his studies in Fruemere. He was briefly their sole provider aside from land money. He works all kinds of hours to make do. In his own words, he became an idealogue precisely because of these circumstances. His greatest flaw and strength, I fear.
Typically, he still struggles after graduation. The civil attorney salary does not quite cover him and the rest of his family’s needs. Naturally, being a resourceful and passionate one he founded this… utterly fun and radical ‘political newspaper publication’.
Really, he only rented a printing machine from a workshop to print his and his friends' little queer poems. I make light of it but I was some little queer poem enthusiast myself. A big fan of them, so the journal easily reached my orbit. I’d say I’m one of his very few original patrons!
Lately (some years ago), his little brother Theodor sailed out of their island. It was a big family scene, I recall. From what I gleaned from Joseph’s stories about him, it was simply a matter of time. Having met Theo myself, he is a practical one, I think more so than his older brother although Joseph might say otherwise. He had taken the military scholarship Joseph refused to maximise what opportunities their family still had. I was there when Joseph helped arrange everything and was writing correspondences at lightning speed like the devil herself had a gun pointed at him.
Being a nosy fellow, I read all the family letters, of course. Quite impressed at how much his family truly made an effort to ridicule Theo’s decision, so I commend his dedication in carrying out his plan in secret. And succeeding, no less! If I were in his shoes I wouldn’t have done it. I’m simply reckless, I don’t have the guts nor the wherewithal. I also hold onto grudges like I hold onto Life. Theo still sends money home. Although, I think he has yet to show his face to his mother.
Now his family only knows of his whereabouts from Joseph. They still want him home. There’s never been a more futile request.
Post #2 | 26-5-2023
Notable Individuals (Character Profile)
Theodor Putra’andre
Currently a 2nd lieutenant in the Fruemerian Revolutionary Army. Originally hailing from the Southern Deep Islands[1], He used up his brother's military scholarship to study in Fruemere while his brother pursued law.
When he graduated, Fruemere had just executed their king. Their entire military structure had been rebuilt and they needed new people after many of the old nobilities in the office got struck by the sharp end of the guillotine. Theodor intended to join the new army solely for the paycheck, before he got into a myriad of shenanigans due to his involvement with someone.
Agastya
Former occultist of the Church of the Absolute Spirit[2]. The church considers sickly children better vessels for the Origin’s Life energy, and Agastya was one of these supposedly short-lived children that was 'healed' by them. She was trained in their art of life-potential manipulation and absorption, and became one of their many biological weapons, specialising in covert and assassination missions.
For her last mission, she intended to leave the church for good and start another life. However, something went wrong with her plan, because she woke up inside the enemy’s territory with little to no memory.
Claude D’Laurel
So-called ‘deranged philosopher of the end-times’. His works often contain many taboo, heretical, and highly controversial elements. As a child of the Age of Enlightenment[5] and a major proponent of the Fruemerian Revolution, he is both loved by many and is actively hunted by others.
His works are not limited to philosophy and scientific papers. He is most commonly known by the public for his stage plays and orchestral composition.
Frederic Fitzgerald
A sergeant in the FRA. Growing up as a street urchin to homeless parents, he eventually gained a lot of opportunities in doing paid 'dirty' work for revolutionaries, such as ambushes, planting evidence, inciting public chaos, ransacking, and the like. He joined the army for a more stable pay, and befriended Theodor despite their differences.
Joseph Putra’andre
The brother of Theodor. Originally from Diatar, he studied the civil codes of the Age of Enlightenment and became a civil lawyer in Fruemere. His regular old day job aside, he is more commonly known for his revolutionary-leaning newspaper publication.
Once upon a time, his publication was the only one willing to publish Claude’s more obscure works. He did so begrudgingly at first, thinking the man was a sophist snob at best. They grew close overtime.
Footnotes
[1] Deep Islands are islands that are hollowed out like an open mine. The deepest part of a Deep Island could reach up to 10,000 metres under sea surface. It is unknown if the islands were naturally formed this way, or if it is formed by ancient civilizations .
The Diatari and Yashpari are amongst many ethnicities that populate the islands.
[2] A heretical Church originated in the Reanslands . They hold the heretical belief of anti-fatalism [3]. The occultist commonly harnesses austral[4] powers to enhance their bodies and surroundings. They worship the 'core' of the earth as a living breathing God.
The common hegemonic beliefs within the Continent is that humanity progresses from below the land to climb towards the overground and eventually beyond, and the ever expanding void-white mists that surround the earth are the extension of the heavenly sky, and thus should be embraced as man’s final journey. This church holds the heretical ideology: that salvation can be found towards the Origin Point .
Despite opposing the beliefs of the Empire , they’re oft rumoured to be working for and under many noble houses of Reansland.
[3] Essentially the belief that humanity should not resign to the white mist.
[4] Australity.
/ˈôstrələdē/
Noun
The set of philosophical phenomena associated with the ‘presence and movement of Life.’ It refers exclusively to the primordial Life energy of the Origin Point[9].
The presence of matter that originates closer to the Origin Point produces an austral field . The movement of Life is an austral flow and it produces an austral force .
In undisturbed geological conditions, the austral force of the world cannot be felt by typical human senses. However, a significant difference in the amounts of Life between two matter, measured in Life-Potential , could generate a powerful force in the field.
[5] Age of Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was an intellectual and philosophical movement that occurred in The Remaining Landmass[6] in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Enlightenment included a range of ideas centred on the value of humanity, the pursuit of empirical knowledge, and ideals such as progress, equality, democracy, secularism, and anti-fatalism.
The Enlightenment is the leading movement behind the Diatari Revolt.
This age is preceded by the Age of Fatality.[7]
[6] The only remaining habitable land on earth, consisting of the Greater Continent, United Kingdom of Georden, and the Southern Deep Islands.
The rest of the world, engulfed in the void-white mist, is only ever told through ancient and folk stories.
[7] The Long Age of Fatality lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, coming after the Age of Darkness [8]. The Age of Fatality is characterised by the rise of the teaching of the prophet Domitius , the founder of Reanish Domitian Orthodoxy . Domitian beliefs value hard work, discipline, and tenacity even amidst hopelessness and fatality.
The decreasing influence and power of the orthodoxy and the Reanish Empire signals the end of an era and the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment.
[8] An era where no human records are found, likely erased by the void-white mist. However, traces of their stories still remain.
[9] The origin point of the universe, theorised as the metaphorical bottom of the earth. It is either a core, a singularity within infinite space, the beginning of time and the birth of humanity, God, or something else entirely.
Post #1 | 11-5-2023
Claude D'Laurel: A Philosophy of Immanence
Cast:
Claude D’Laurel
Deranged philosopher of the end-times.
Joseph Putra’andre
Civil advocate. his favourite person.
A discarded essay draft from yours truly.
Preface
You may wonder why we still write for philosophy if we have since witnessed the end of history. The languages we created so far will no longer be relevant to the era that comes after us. Indeed, the White Death is now visible from Fruemerian shores, threatening to dissolve all modes of thinking, all fundamental ontologies, all categorization, all life, and most importantly, my job.
Reader, you underestimate my propensity towards romance. Do not forget, even if the White Lights distracts you now, that I used to be a playwright. I write pointless diatribes for the sake of it. And reader, this is a concept that you must put to heart, being for the sake of itself.
Discussion
Kindergarteners are taught that all living beings come from the Origin. The zero-point-zero point of the universe, and then they are told to draw two perpendicular lines. They label the Origin with (0,0), and everything else with whatever number is their favourite. They’re taught the earth-lands could be located in one-point-two-gazillion values upwards the y-axis. Some are taught it’s only the second layer above ‘conception-layer’. These numeric debates are entirely archaic now, they simply say that the Origin is below all of us universally. How very inclusive! But I am still in love with any and all theories regarding our zero zero. This single point that refuses definition.
Let me introduce you to an attempt anyway. In the past, many prophets understood the White Death as not a force, but rather, the goal of all forces. The universe is walking, nay, cruising, towards it willingly. It’s pure stability and homogeneity manifest. Pure stillness. When we die our bodies that blend with Mother Earth are encouraging Her ever closer to it. ‘Beyond the light will we transcend.’ God Himself waits beyond the White.
However we have since discovered australicity from within the depths. The abundance of Life Potential within the deep soil created such a noticeable polarity against the humans that dug them that we discovered a new force entirely. Austral force, or, ‘the spending of life.’ Life moves from a higher point towards a lower one (well, the opposite, in this case.) From deep soil to man. From man to air. From air to fire.
This is still a very abstract concept, because we can hardly measure the exact Life-Potential of things. But that’s a debate for another era, readers, for we are getting to my main theory.
The point of Origin, I propose, is not only the temporal and spatial beginning of the universe, but rather it is still presently very much alive. Still pulsing with heartbeat. It is pure Potential. Pure difference. Desire manifest. It’s spending its life force outwards, towards the earth-lands and the White and it is possibly the One True God we’ve all been looking for and the only salvation we have against the White Death.
With it, emerges the Plane of Immanence. It is when immanence is no longer immanence to anything other than itself. A pure plane where we should from now on base our philosophical foundation on. Inside a dissoluted world, no theory of transcendence will save us.
Conclusion
As my dearest friend, and coincidentally also my legal advocate, Joseph had discouraged me from continuing this essay or, god forbid, even consider ever publishing such a thing for the purpose of my safety. So, there’s really no point in addressing you any longer, reader. But I suppose philosophers are always talking first and foremost towards themselves. Anyone who claims otherwise I would consider mad!