The Shrink: Ive never understood them. Never got the appeal. I mean, whats the difference between them, anyway? The Oaf: Well, when some boys want to become men, they look at soldiers, or policemen, or firemen. But for some boys, if they want manhood, they must seek counsel with either the King of the Sun or the King of the Moon. The King of the Sun is the loneliest man in the world; even his castle is named in recognition of this. His world is dead, and he was raised by and lives among humble people. Despite or because of his great loss, every time he meets someone he looks at them in hope that hes found a new member of his otherwise-lost family. His gifts are great, even fantastic; they are not truly his, he takes no pride in them. They are important only in service. His true power lies in virtue -- everything he does has good intent behind it, and that intent rings true and had meaning regardless of the success or failure of his actions. The King of the Moon is the angriest man in the world. He was born to and lives in a state of great material privilege; it is nothing to him but a tool by which he may express his will. His parents were killed while he watched; this excuses every excess in which he has indulged. His gifts are those of craft and boldness, every human ability brought to its peak, and he is allowed more pride here than the King of the Sun -- these gifts are a just reward for hard labor. But again, his true power lies elsewhere -- it is the ability to perform unthinkable evil in defiance of greater evil. That is his self-imposed duty, and his secret, ugly joy. The King of the Moon has laid legitimate claim to a large part of my masculine soul, but my true allegiance lies with the King of the Sun. He always seemed foolish to me, a comic figure, until I had to decide what kind of man I really wanted to be, and all of a sudden that clown out of childhoods circus took on an unexpected gravity. The Shrink: Oh! Okay, that makes sense. I think I get it now. The Oaf: Just dont get me started on Marvel versus DC.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 23:29:31 +0000