Ha! This is great, mate! I really enjoyed the body hopping angle and the maniacal voice that's entailed. It's ironic how someone who so desperately wants to live and have fun could be so introspective in the face of all the action. I could understand the hedonistic approach, which stems from the lack of his own physical body. It could swap, I assume, to the body of the person that kills it without suffering any consequences.
So many philosophical concepts that could be dissected from this, too. But, I don't want to hijack the whole comments section as I feel it could stretch longer than most posts. That fright that Sally felt and the anxiety of all the people felt all too real. Considering this was told in the first-person perspective, it's quite impressive. Coming from the heels of your latest Notes, I could see that you've really shown instead of telling. Nice job, brother!
Seems his definition of living is somewhat different to yours and mine, perhaps. Wanting to push it to the limit, which he would if he knows he has his return ticket all worked out. He thought processes are stuck between trying to understand why humans oscillate between two fears - of life AND of death.
I wanted to really get into Zeus' head so I went with first person POV to emphasise and exaggerate that aspect. That's why there is so much of his internal world and analysis going on. I was also conscious that first person POV can get very telly if the author isn't careful. Trying to find that balance was my aim for this story.
Thanks for the feedback, and feel free to comment away, if you want to. I don't mind any hijacking hijinks at all :)
Yeah, that's what I wanted to get into when I spoke about his hedonistic tendencies. Knowing that he has a return ticket all the more makes him menacing. All the terrible villains are the ones who don't fear death. It's interesting how you conceptualized him. By naming him Zeus, you evoke mythological entities, but he could easily be a spirit that possess people or an alien being that jumps from host to host. The possibilities are endless!
Yes, very hedonistic, which leads to a lack of understanding in a way. Ironic given his attempts to understand. Perhaps indicative of our own approach of trying to understand others through our own filters.
I was definitely trying to evoke that whole mythological aspect with the name. That whole field of story telling around the ancient gods that seems so fanciful, yet leads one to wonder - what if? What if Zeus was real and alive today?
These type of stories give the writer an opportunity to explore. That's what I love about them. Just add imagination and go for it :)
I imagine they'll be how you portrayed him, or maybe bored out of their minds because of millenia worth of existing. Personally, if I have immortality, I would spend it on intellectual pursuits. But, I can never tell what would happen given hundreds of years.
Maybe he's tried every approach to dealing with immortality. This is super rebel phase :)
This is the nihilist phase haha! It's interesting to see if you ever write a sequel or prequel to this while he's on a different phase. A more repentant or innocent one haha
Bookish Zeus, lover of fine arts and good reading. Now how to make that exciting :)
The gears are turning! Maybe foreshadow devious deeds of his future self haha!