text; un: redwine

[judgementor]

I have a question for everyone here. That is, multiple questions relating to the same topic, if you'd indulge me.

On Tierra, the world I come from, humans were granted form and souls by the creator long ago. What they didn't know at that time was that the creator had also placed souls in other things. Souls that could not be seen or felt but were present nonetheless.

Over time, the humans realised the presence of these souls and discovered how to summon them into physical form. They did this because of an enemy that they couldn't fight on their own - they needed beings with more power, that would not be so easily killed. They found the weapons that they needed in their new creations, which would eventually come to be called 'Food Souls'. They could hold incredible magical ability and strength, and the humans still didn't fully understand where they came from.

Food Souls could be summoned and bound to the summoner, tied to their will, following their orders, and wishing to please them even through mistreatment. After the death of their master, the Food Soul would be left in the world without them.

My question then, is this. Should such beings exist in your world, how do you think they would be treated? How do you think that you would treat such a being? Would they be treated well, or discarded when they had outlived their usefulness?

I'm already aware through previous travels that my world is not entirely unique in this regard. I'm curious, too, how other summoned individuals would describe their experiences.





((any format is fine for reply - he'll answer like for like. text was just easier, given the amount of information he was putting across.))

Comments

text; un: manslayer

[hitokiri]

heh get ready for everybody who ever got summoned to kill each other over a magic cup to show up just to bitch

[judgementor]

I appreciate the warning.

[That's a little flippant. What he writes next is not.]

Any I ought to tread carefully around?

text; un: kingjj

[kingfuckboy]

i mean
they're technically people, right??

why would you treat them any differently
from how you'd treat another person?

i mean
thats how i see it

[judgementor]

They are. Technically.
They are individuals with emotions, feelings, and their own personalities.

And many humans do see them as such. Many, however, do not.

text; un: tacobell

[itsjiaheng]

if people can get
money
power
fame
etc
out of something
and it personally costs them nothing
or very little
they'll do whatever
i'm not saying thats right
i'm just saying shit sucks
and humans don't even treat other humans with respect
or animals
think they're gonna treat something that can be a weapon right?
hahah no
so this doesn't surprise me at all

[judgementor]

What, exactly, doesn't surprise you?

[Red Wine thinks someone here read more into what he said that what was actually said...]

text; un: coffeefiend

[ichoosefight]

[ uhhhhhhhhhhhhh ]

historically speaking, they would probably be treated very poorly. and that's messed up

[judgementor]

Still, I appreciate your honesty.

I'm not surprised to know there are other worlds where that would be the case.

text; un: username

[absentconstellation]

What you are referring to is slavery. Humans have enslaved anything, from animals to immortals, even each other. They have even attempted to enslave the Gods.

The desire to control others is inherent to human nature. However, I have observed that empathy is also inherent. Over time, those who have been enslaved will find allies among the free, and the injustice will be corrected. It does not always require interference on the part of the Gods.

[judgementor]

I'm very aware of what I'm referring to.

[He was vague on purpose regarding whether or not he might be one of the Food Souls of which he spoke, not wanting his own status to colour the answers he got.]

Your gods are still present in your world, then? Interesting.

text | un: maruchan

[fujimaru]

Obviously treat them like your peers?
If you're summoning someone, you're doing it because there's something you can't do on your own, right?
So they're helping you out
The very least you can do is treat them with respect
What the heck does "outlived their usefulness" even mean in this case??
If they're conscious beings, it's not the Master's decision
They can decide for themselves once the contract is over

[judgementor]

No, they cannot.

A Food Soul can't simply abandon their Master because they want to. It happens either through the Master's wish, or the Master's death.

text; un: stargazer

[leicesters]

Food Souls? Sounds tasty.

[judgementor]

All the intelligent things you might have said, and that was what you chose.

text; un: tartaglia

[commediadellanime]

I imagine it would all depend on who summoned them in the first place.
Some people I know would want to study them, figure out how they work and if they could replicate their powers.
Other people would probably make them do all the dirty work in their schemes and would treat them like an object they could throw aside when they're no longer useful.
But some people would probably treat them well, because they're still a person in the end and not everyone is as cruel as Il Dottore or La Signora.
And I imagine if one got summoned in Mondstadt they'd probably have a pretty cushy life!

If I ran into something like a Food Soul back in Teyvat, though, it sounds like they would be a good person to fight.
Something stronger than a human sounds like a great challenge.

[it all comes back to combat in the end.........]

[judgementor]

[Of course Childe would give an answer like this. Why is he not at all surprised?

Wait, he knows why he isn't surprised.]

Then your world is not so much different to mine.

But a Food Soul willing to fight you on Tierra would be one that wouldn't hesitate to kill you if they could. I suppose you wouldn't mind that, though, would you Childe.

Text : Un; Caster

[colchismagecraft]

[Oh look, it's one of said people who got summoned to kill each other over a magic cup, turning up just to bitch. Just as a certain Manslayer predicted.

Before she answered, though...she had mixed feelings about this post, and it left a bad taste in her mouth.]

are you asking as the summoner or the one who was summoned

[...Also, she's 100% stalking the responses other people have put, just to get a gauge on who wasn't trustworthy.]

[judgementor]

That's irrelevant. I'm not looking for your judgement on how my world conducts its affairs.

text; un: lilmonix3

[peninhand]

I am fairly certain the people of my world would treat them very poorly. They certainly wouldn't be granted the same rights as a human.

[ Through in her experience as an AI? Humans didn't give a damn. ]

On my end, I would do my best to treat them with respect. And there would probably be organizations made to fight for their right. So like, not everyone would be terrible.

[judgementor]

[Another honest one. It's actually a little surprising that people are coming out and saying that their worlds would not treat beings like him in the best ways.]

I've found that the overall attitude of an entire world is often not reflected in its individual citizens. There can be as many kind ones as cruel ones, but the cruel ones are often found in positions of greater power.

text; un: troubadamsel

[troubadamsel]

I believe any living soul has a right to live and choose their own path, and this is a belief held by most in my realm. I won't lie and say it's true all over - there are dark minds in every world, and mine is no exception.

But may I ask, why are they called "Food" Souls?

[judgementor]

Because that is where they come from.

To keep it from becoming too complicated, these dormant souls were discovered to be present in food. Not that a bottle of champagne would have a soul by itself, for example, but that you could use it to draw forth the physical form of champagne in abstract. Its origins, its history, any celebrations or festivals that might be attached to it.

text; un: didnot

[morns]

( welp, there's a bunch of information you don't get on a shitload of tequila. )

they'd be soldiers.

( given the way her world responded to someone finding a way to give humans powers, she's pretty certain of that. it's easy to imagine governments hoarding the ability to bring them into the world, only interested in their original purpose. equally easy to imagine the people who'd be doing anything to bring that power to the masses, too.

it'd be a mess. )

[judgementor]

That isn't surprising.

[Much as they were during the height of the fight against the Fallen Angels. Not so much now, when they are used more as status symbols than anything else.]

voice; un: centuryegg

[fellsound]

( haha, guess who heard all of this with text to speech... )

... What was your Attendant like?

( Red Wine knows what happened to Century Egg, knows that the legends about Xuan Wu and his mausoleum were true, but Century Egg's never asked about the reverse. )

[judgementor]

[Ah. Of course.

Century Egg hasn't asked about his attendant, though Red Wine knows enough about his to know he'd very much like to wring the life out of him should he dare show his face in Avalon.

He clears his throat.]

She was... very kind. A high-born lady. She treated me like her own brother and cared for me a great deal.

[voice] un: geddoe

[trueltning_fury]

Food. Souls.

[ALL THE DOUBT and a smidge of judging, maybe. Because that's just how one has to react to such a strange proposition. Deep breath.]

There are some who think the True Runes have souls of their own. I'm not so sure. It depends on the definition of a soul, versus a consciousness or will or what have you. They certainly have wills of their own, but I wouldn't call that a soul.

But then, I've seen people act like Ducks and Kobolds are just beasts when they clearly have souls. And spears with which to run you through if you dare insinuate otherwise.

[judgementor]

Mm.

[The question of whether or not he has a soul isn't one he'd raised, but it is an interesting concept. Does he have one, or is that simply what he is? It's not something the humans ever thought of when they had begun drawing these spirits forth to serve their purposes.

Red Wine responds in kind to the audio contact - his voice is smooth and polite, the edges of his words crisp.]

Are these beings you speak of summoned into the world, or do they already exist in it?

text; un: ems

[unhappy]

Humans can't even treat each other well. I doubt there's any world they're not treating everyone else like crap, too.

Your world sounds extra crap. Like, at least humans use our own souls as weapons in Remnant. We don't summon other people to fight for us. Or... food. What do humans in your world eat if their food talks?

[judgementor]

It's no worse than many other worlds, I think.
There's only the rather specific nature of Food Souls that stands out as different.

But food itself doesn't talk. The idea that food is conscious simply because Food Souls exist is entirely incorrect. They are more of an abstract concept.