Like I said, messing with perspectives a lot more this year.
We’re just getting what we deserve. Did you really think that after all our greedy wars, reckless pollution, fanatic intolerance, that the universe would just forgive us? Look the other way? No, sir. Judgment’s raining down, and it’s raining down hard. No holy roller fire and brimstone, just cold, hard justice. The life gets sucked out of us, like we sucked the life out of our planet. It just got to us first. Mother Nature exterminates the human vermin.
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What does this voice tell you about the character?
I see a disillusioned, depressed environmentalist, going down with an overdose of ‘told you so’
You nailed it, Keith.
Once again, I find myself agreeing with Keith’s comment.
What all three voices so far have in common is a strong sense of acceptance and almost disinterest on a personal level. Nobody seems to be worrying about themselves or their children / family. I hope we’re going to see some of that over the next couple of days; such voices have to some extent been done to death, but I think you’d make a good job of freshening them up.
Hmmm. Maybe some hints of that on Friday, but come to think of it, I don’t go into that much about family. I’ve unconsciously kept it rather more global and maybe a little less personal. Thursday’s voice, however, hasn’t accepted anything. : )
Very matter of fact and accepting. As Keith said “Told you so” is ringing loud and clear 🙂
You got it!
Self-righteous and misanthropic, I’d say. Though s/he has a point, which gives me some ability to relate, the level of bitterness, here, makes me think this isn’t someone I’d like to spend my last days talking to. 😉
It’s interesting that this one doesn’t mention the beauty of the stars.
I felt she (or he, again I wasn’t intentional with gender here, but I lean toward female) would be too wrapped up in being “right” to appreciate the stars.
Which is a great additional subtext to the character. 😀
We really don’t have anyone else to blame but ourselves. Mother Nature has been more than patient with humans.
That’s the perspective, exactly!
There’s certainly a tone of acceptance here, but not in a peaceful “whatever will be, will be” sense. Rather, it seems like a “F**k it, I told you this would happen” sort of acceptance. Something tells me the people around him(?) wouldn’t appreciate his cavalier tolerance of the situation.
Perhaps almost happier to be right about the destruction of the planet than if humanity had turned itself around and managed to save the planet.
What this voice isn’t realizing, however, is that it truly was inevitable.
Hallelujah!
But in all seriousness, I really like this one. It seems genuine, in a lot of ways. The cynic we all know and love…nice job!
Know and love, maybe, but wouldn’t want to spend our last days with.
I’m glad it sounded genuine! It’s not exactly a perspective I agree with. : )
Although what they are saying is pretty much true. They are angry and bitter at his species for screwing up the one and only planet they have.
The irony is that the dying sun isn’t due to pollution or humanity’s actions. But this person sees it as a kind of karma for what we’ve done to the planet. It managed to kill us before we killed it.
And, of course, the further irony that all life on earth, at least as we know it, will be wiped out along with humanity. The cosmos may “win,” but then humanity never was a threat to the cosmos. Mother Nature, in this context, is a casualty of the supposed “cold, hard justice.” It’d be like hanging the family of a murder victim along with the murderer…
I love this! Jaded and self-righteous. Although this is how I would probably be feeling in the same situation. But you think this voice would want to spend their last days doing something other than “I told you so”-ing
I think the anger might be a coping mechanism for this particular person; they need to put the blame somewhere to make sense of the loss, and sadly can’t work past that to appreciate their final days.
I think a lot of people would have this feeling. Blame past generations, the human race in general or any thing else they can blame.
Yes! Blame’s the name of the game.
Angry, self-righteous, I-had-nothing-to-do-with-this and I-told-you-so kind of a voice.
Very well written!
All of the above! Glad you liked it!
It’s interesting that she speaks of judgment and justice but does not seem to be religious. More an environmentalist, almost to the point that nature itself is somewhat deified. I love the bitterness in her voice.
Oh yes; deified nature – you nailed it!