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Kill him now or later?



Kill him now or later?

NOW! The murderer deserves to die! How dare he even be seen at the funeral of the boy he murdered?!
8
35%
Kill him later... it's not like he's going anywhere.
15
65%
 
Total votes : 23


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Mon Jul 17, 2017 7:22 am
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Snoink says...



So! I am writing this story where a 16-year-old magician, Will, transports himself into a highly Christian (mix of Evangelical and Catholic, mostly) society that HATES magic... and in transporting himself, he accidentally kills a boy about his age. This of course angers everybody! To make matters worse, the spell that he used to transport himself there in the first place has pretty much depleted his magic, which means he is stuck.

The family that has first taken him in finds out that a mob is forming to kill him, and they quickly dump him at the Catholic church for sanctuary, where the priest reluctantly accepts him into the church. One problem -- the boy is from that church and there's a funeral scheduled for tomorrow. The mobs are forming outside, Will's magic is gone for the time being, and the priest is certain that violence is inevitable and that somebody's going to die.

So! That's the point of the story where I'm at! Now... your part!

I need to hide Will someplace in the church where he'll be safe from the mob for the funeral mass. The priest wants Will to be close by where he can see him, since he fears that people will be combing around the church to look for Will in all of the hiding places and then killing him discretely -- except near the altar, which is considered a sacred space where Jesus resides, which the priest reasons that, even if Will is seen, people will hesitate to openly kill him, just because of the openness and blasphemy that would create. So, that's where the priest wants him to be.

The question is... should he hide in plain site or not?

If he hides out of site, he would probably have to crouch down and hide behind the altar, which kind of looks like a stone tomb... like this.

Image

If he is in plain site, he can be quickly trained as an altar boy... which would mean that he would be visible, but because he's helping out... maybe the mob wouldn't kill him?

I think the plain site thing would be way more dramatic as a scene, but Matthew thinks that it sounds ridiculous and that it would be better for him to hide. His reasoning is that they would stop the funeral mass, drag out Will, and kill him. I'm... not sure? I was thinking that maybe they would try to drag him out and kill him AFTER mass. But, now I am starting to doubt about the plausibility of my idea. XD

I can write the scene both ways, but since it's first person, him hiding behind the altar would limit the description that I could use.

So! If you could put yourself in an angry mob member's shoes...

If you saw the killer of the boy at a funeral mass, and you were ready to kill him, would you wait? Or would you hesitate if you saw him at a sacred place, just because of superstition and decide to kill him later?

Also, even if you're not religious, I'm still interested in your opinion! Because everybody can be part of an angry mob, and that's the perspective I'm looking for. ;) Still, if you have any questions regarding the scene because my descriptions are confusing and you're not quite sure of Catholic church layouts, feel free to ask!
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 7:52 am
Wolfi says...



If the society hates magic so much, why does the priest take Will in?

Anyway, fellow Catholic here who was just at church today and knows the layout pretty well!

I think that everyone seeing Will at this boy's funeral, dressed up as an altar boy, would make them very angry. It requires serious training to become an altar server, and they would probably believe that this innocent boy deserves the best at his funeral. Not only would an untrained, irreligious, magical teen be disapproved, but the boy's killer? No bueno.

I think it would be really interesting for the POV to be from Will as an altar boy, but also, altar servers aren't up near the altar during the entirety of Mass; they have to enter in a procession with the priest and help prepare the Body and Blood. I don't know if the priest would plan to make Will go through all that still, but if he does, maybe the mob would gladly kill him before he even reaches the altar. Or maybe they don't, because all of church is sacred, or because they don't want to cause a commotion at the funeral, even if it is to avenge the boy's death.

Either way, I think it's a big risk to hide Will in plain sight, just because the utter anger and pain felt by the congregation, let alone the mob, might override superstitions. And yet, it would be great for you to pull off! Because yeah, it would be waaay more entertaining and suspenseful than just him hiding behind the altar.

As for the poll, I went with the second one. Partially because of the superstition thing, but also because I wouldn't want to cause a commotion at the funeral. However, seeing the murderer as an altar boy in the funeral might make me angry enough to disregard those two things.
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:00 am
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Snoink says...



Hahaha! Good point, @Wolfical. Would it be better off him just wearing his worn, torn, muddy clothes up front in plain sight? Also, I thought it might be better for there to be no grand procession... kind of like a daily mass sort of thing where they go out directly from the sacristy and ring the bell.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:11 am
Wolfi says...



Would there be a way to disguise him and also make him an altar boy? Probably not, since you can't put a beard on him or anything! Too bad his magic's all run out. I really like the altar boy idea, but in a practical sense I think it's too risky. Maybe if he stood/sat up there instead looking all humble, pitiful, and sorry, they'd be less angry and some might actually consider giving him a shred of forgiveness. The mob would also probably decide to wait until after the service is over to kill him, since he would be doing nothing to anger them further.
John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.
  





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Mon Jul 17, 2017 8:15 am
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Snoink says...



Oh! @Wolfical, forgot to answer your first question...

If the society hates magic so much, why does the priest take Will in?


Because the person who brings Will in is the pastor of the evangelical church in town -- and he is quite sympathetic to the boy's plight! After all, Will comes to his house half dead, and Pastor Rick really does try his best to be the Good Samaritan, etc. Yet, once he finds out from a shady undertaker that a mob is involved, he is afraid of his family being targeted by the mob... and he points out to Father Toby that he has no family to speak of, so Father Toby doesn't exactly have that problem, and thus Father Toby should be the one to protect him. Since Pastor Rick and Father Toby are the only religious leaders in town and since the sheriff is part of the mob, that pretty much means that it's up to Father Toby to protect him until he can be properly delivered to someone who will grant justice to him.

Father Toby is wary of the boy, but he is willing to give him a chance because Will is still only a teen and quite helpless at the moment. Plus, Will is also quite horrified at the death and is not really sure how to handle it, and the priest recognizes that.

EEK. And now a second question!

Would there be a way to disguise him and also make him an altar boy? Probably not, since you can't put a beard on him or anything! Too bad his magic's all run out. I really like the altar boy idea, but in a practical sense I think it's too risky. Maybe if he stood/sat up there instead looking all humble, pitiful, and sorry, they'd be less angry and some might actually consider giving him a shred of forgiveness. The mob would also probably decide to wait until after the service is over to kill him, since he would be doing nothing to anger them further.


He was an idiot and told the mother of the dead boy that he didn't murder the boy and it wasn't his fault -- it was the fault of the demon that he accidentally summoned up to do this transport spell. So. Like... he is an idiot. And hiding him would be pretty difficult at this point.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:52 am
Mageheart says...



I think it would be cool to have him hiding in plain sight because you would be able to describe a lot more details, but I also feel like the mob would want to stop the funeral to get their revenge. But I don't think I have a lot of experience on this topic because I haven't been to the funeral of someone I was really close to, so I'm not sure if my answer's the best one to go by.
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 1:40 pm
wakarimasen says...



Hide him in plain sight. Let's see what happens! And if the mob does notice and drag him out, then you get to write a killer (no pun intended) escape sequence!
  





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Mon Jul 17, 2017 2:42 pm
Feltrix says...



I think hiding him in plain sight would be a more interesting choice, and it's definitely what I would do. It gives you more of a chance to describe what's going on and it sheds more light on the importance of religion to these people (both killing him and not killing him would tell something about them). I also think it provides more tension. All around a better choice. I think.

As for the 'To kill or not to kill,' I don't feel qualified to answer that because
A) I'm an atheist. And
2) I can't picture myself wanting to kill someone enough and for long enough that I would become part of a mob.
Last edited by Feltrix on Tue Jul 18, 2017 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 3:36 pm
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Rook says...



True Christians wouldn't murder someone, even if they did kill someone else and use magic. it's no an eye for an eye anymore folks! forgiveness.

I personally think he should hide behind the altar. probs bc I dunno what an alter boy does, but it feels weird to me to make him be part of something he doesn't believe in.
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:11 pm
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Snoink says...



True Christians wouldn't murder someone, even if they did kill someone else and use magic. it's no an eye for an eye anymore folks! forgiveness.


Haha! Yes, @fortis! Yes! That's one of the issues I am exploring. :D Christians ought to follow Jesus and forgive... but Christians are also miserable sinners who are quite capable of forming mobs to hurt people. ;) Because they are sinners! So, the novel explores the question, "Who is my neighbor?" as well as questions of forgiveness, loving thy enemy, what it means to really follow Jesus, and what it means to sacrifice as Jesus did.

So. It's like... a really Christian novel in which everything that could go wrong does. XD

A quote for you...

"Why did you bring him?" Father Toby said, sighing.

Because a mob is coming for him and he doesn't serve mob justice," Pastor Rick said, his voice trembling. "There are people outside of the church openly carrying guns. I fear they want to kill him."

"They probably do," Father Toby said. "A boy is dead because of this magician's actions. And many others in our community have been killed by other magicians. They are angry and scared. How would you feel?"

"It doesn't matter what I feel," Pastor Rick said gruffly. "The only thing that matters is what Christ tells us to do. And Christ tells us to love our enemies."

"Our enemy is the mob," Father Toby said flatly. "It has always been. Was it not the mob that killed Jesus Christ Himself?"
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

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Mon Jul 17, 2017 5:57 pm
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Rosendorn says...



And a new question for you:

What would Will be willing to do?

Because if I had just killed somebody by accident as a teenager and the only place to hide is near where they are, I would want to be nowhere near their line of sight.

I would be hiding. I wouldn't care about any of the reasoning for "they're less likely to kill you if you're an altar boy" or "they're less likely to kill you if they see you humble and remorseful." Because Will knows nothing about Christianity, and all he can see is regardless of doctrine that comes from "very powerful magic" people are willing to give everything up in the name of anger.

I genuinely wouldn't believe Christians had any restraint and that they would have the conviction to stay with their doctrine when it's already been established they don't. I would believe anything they say or do is performative, so in order to survive you can't anger them, can't cross them, and can't show your face once they hate you.
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Mon Jul 17, 2017 10:07 pm
Snoink says...



@Rosendorn, honestly he is so stressed out at the moment that he is starting to dissociate. His first reaction is to fight though. He doesn't really have any powers right now though.

His only experience with Christianity is what he has just experienced, so he thinks they are a mob headed by an extremely powerful and dangerous spirit, save for a couple people who seem to want to help him, despite everything. He is trying to listen to these people because he hasn't been hurt yet and they seem to be looking out for him, but he is overwhelmed and exhausted and annoyed that even the people who are helping him seem to agree that he killed a boy... A fact that he cannot accept. Yet.

But, he feels kind of like he's on an alien planet full of mostly hostile people, nor does he know how to navigate this world without magic, so he feels very lost.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Tue Jul 18, 2017 3:57 am
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Snoink says...



I should probably also mention that I got writer's block when I tried to make him hide... like, he hates the altar so much, and he is totally resisting hiding behind that. But, like... that's the only real option that he can go without being killed outright. So, maybe having him out in the open might be a good thing... and now, actually, that I am writing THAT scene, my pen is flowing a lot more easily.
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





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Tue Jul 18, 2017 4:58 am
Wolfi says...



Do you actually write with a pen or is that just figurative language? d:
John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.
  





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Tue Jul 18, 2017 5:49 am
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Snoink says...



Precision in language is important! :o
Attachments
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In cursive, no less!
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  








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