Paradiso

I’ve done plenty of camping and roughing it in my time, but if I was being candid about things, I’d be hard pressed not to admit that I was really, really getting used to the technology of the twenty first century. It’s a heck of a lot harder to mess up food when all you’ve got to do is peel back part of a lid on a box and then pop it in the microwave. Microwaves: seriously one of the finest inventions of the current times. Past current times? Which is it?

My generation’s innovations included sliced bread and ballpoint pens. Just in case anyone thinks we were slacking.

It's...different. There's always been the thought that an island is the last place I would want to end up again. Memories have a way of coming back. There's no Yao Fei here, though...and I'm not some shipwrecked kid.

That said, what I do have to offer are survival skills. This kind of place, it's like going home.

I'm Oliver.

Did anyone get anything from the gods this week? There was nothing in the main camp area and I haven't seen a bunch of posts talking about gifts.

I'm not sure what I expected, but a full blown beach and a tropical atmosphere wasn't exactly it. But, well, here it is. A bit like a vacation. Not that I've ever been on a real vacation.

I'm afraid I won't be able to settle without a proper understanding of the layout of this place. And, of course, I'd like to meet everyone. From what I understand, this community isn't particularly large as of yet, so that shouldn't be too difficult, I think.

Oh. Right. I'm Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers.

I've never been one to believe in a god, or gods. I do understand that a statistically significant portion of the population finds comfort in some religion or another, but I've never needed that. I take my comfort in facts and figures. Jane, on the other hand, was brought up Catholic. It doesn't seem to have made an appreciable difference in the way she approaches her job, but of course I don't have a "control Jane" who wasn't brought up in a religious household with which to compare and contrast the existing Jane (or a Maura who was brought up in religion with which to compare and contrast myself).

Here on the island, however, I'm told that there are actual gods, present, here among us! I have not yet encountered any of them, but others have assured me they exist. I am excited about the opportunity this presents, though, to potentially sit down and talk with them about how they feel about being gods. The other thing to consider is that all the information I've received about the island indicates that there are no laws, no leaders, and no religion. Can there be "no religion" when there are gods? Can gods truly be gods if there is no religion? I feel like I can barely sit still. If only Jane were here!

This island is gorgeous though. The flora, the fauna, the potential for study... it's all a rich tapestry and I feel so thrilled that I volunteered to come here and help out. I just hope there are not too many medical emergencies... my medical skills really are more suited to my role as medical examiner, and not so very suited to the living, as Frankie can probably attest...