Part 28: Second Playthrough - 2 AM

[MUSIC: Greenhouse]

For this time around, and the next one, I'm only going to show the part where Group West tunes in on god. Most of 2 AM is the same every time, but there's a couple changes based on how you've played that happen in this chunk of the hour.



The devil is never on the same frequency, but you sometimes hear a bit of him by accident when you're changing channels.

By the time we find god he's already talking. He never says "for those just listening." He expects attentiveness.



God sounds like every boy you are afraid of talking at once.

GOD: —and extract the resulting ink. Place in a vial and explain to it the worthlessness of the treasures of earth. Break it against a mirror, the cause of vanity—

Here god references the four humors, or the four human bodily fluids that were thought to determine the physical and mental state of a person: yellow bile, blood, phlegm, and black bile. In the fourth or fifth century B.C., Greek physician Hippocrates incorporated these as the basis of his "four temperaments" medical theory, which would influence European and Islamic medicine for well over a thousand years. Obviously not practiced in medicine anymore, the temperaments themselves still exist as a personality test type thing that's popular among modern Christians.

Of interest here is black bile, which relates to the Melancholic temperament (black bile in Greek is µέλαινα χολή, melaina chole). Melancholia, caused by an excess of black bile, is associated with traits like being cold or critical towards others, despondency, and withdrawnness.

An interesting excerpt from Sol Tenebrarum - The Occult Study of Melancholy by Asenath Mason:

"The black bile, as a corrupted form of blood, was the symbol of death, darkness, black magic and witchcraft. It was believed to cause gloomy disposition, depression and insanity. It darkened the light of the soul, led to obsessions, lethargy, diseases and finally also to death. Among 'melancholy people', meaning those who were most severely exposed to the influence of the black bile, one could find all sort of social outcasts, murderers, witches, necromancers, black magicians, etc. The black bile was the cause of all weakness and sin, and it was believed that when the first humans tasted fruits from the Tree of Knowledge, their blood was corrupted and turned black, which also happens to each man who succumbs to Satan’s temptation."



♃: Shh, let's listen.
♆: Whatever.

GOD: —each of you shall choose. It is certain that the devil is coming.

♀: Oh no.

GOD: It is certain.

♆: I told you.

GOD: It is absolutely certain the devil is already here.

♃: ...

GOD: Parables I:I "The devil is only the shadow of man cast from the light of god."

GOD: The meaning of this parable is that there is no devil.

GOD: The weather is scheduled for 100 with humidity tomorrow. And now for the news—

[SFX: The radio turns off.]

Jupiter shuts off the radio.