ask-benji-wild

[ask-benji-wild]

Considering it’s coming up fast for anyone on the Gregorian calendar, what does the New Year look like for you and your family and friends? Do you party, sit alone and think about the passage of time, ignore it completely and get work done, practice arcane rituals under the moonlight, etc.?

Me and my parents usually sit at home and watch the new year come in on the VS. There’s all sorts of celebrations--magic and otherwise. I’ve tried to... er... sort them all, I guess? But there’s just so many sapient species that it’s IMPOSSIBLE to catalogue them all! This one year we all went to Lunarilis where my birth parents are from? Wow. They know how to celebrate! I... guess that’d be obvious, since they’re the king and queen of all the elves! Fireworks, drinking, magicworks which are like fireworks only they don’t explode (and one or two of them sing) and a parade!

[ask-benji-wild]

I know we all love joking about your box-sleeping habits, but how do you actually sleep day-to-day? What are your general living arrangements?

Well! Right now we are on a--I guess you’d call in a Quest of sorts! I mean with the given definition of a quest... you know, a sort of... journey with a purpose? Although I guess we’d need clearer specifics on that purpose. I’m sure we’ll get them along the way, it’s just that right now it’s sort of foggy and I think it might have started with some plants dying in weird ways, but I’m not entirely sure that’s where it’s heading now because--

What was the question? Oh, right. Sleeping arrangements.

There’s a few towns that are okay with liori staying in their hotels, but there’s a lot more that aren’t. :

It’s not so bad, ‘cept I feel a little guilty ‘cuz I’m sure the others would prefer a nice warm room.

[ask-benji-wild]

Can you eat chocolate (without dying, and assuming you even have cacao on Erit)? What is the Bestiary’s individual and general consensus on chocolate?

You know, I’m not sure. Let me check, and I’ll get back to you.

[Meadow edit: Benji just stress-ate four whole boxes of semi-dark chocolate and he’s fine, if not just a teensy bit queasy. I think he can have chocolate. Also, there were five boxes, but I ate the last one. It was delicious.]

[ask-benji-wild]

I just remembered one question I’ve never asked you about being a manticore! (I feel a bit guilty asking you all of these Manticore Questions, but I’m not exactly living in a place with an abundance of them, oof.) How much does your fur shed? Does your mane shed at all? And if they do, do their thicknesses change depending on the season (if Erit even has those)? I know scorpions molt; does your tail ever shed its exoskeleton? Or are you spared all of this because Magic™️ *jazz hands*?

I really, really wish I didn’t shed. :

If you know a spell or anything that can make it stop, please let me know. For now, I just brush. A lot. :

As for changing season to season, it doesn’t seem to? But Erit’s seasons are pretty... um. Random? Due to the tilt of the planet and magic. But my wings are really good at dispelling heat if it gets too hot! I noticed that in the Fade Desert!

Oh! Oh! I love when that tail sheds! Because all the quills fall out! It’s really nice ‘cuz for like two spans (that’s weeks for you earthers) I don’t have to worry about it at all.

I learned that a tail that’s been cut off grows back over time, too. Which is why I haven’t cut mine off. :

[ask-benji-wild]

Why does magic exist? Why can it manipulate the world in the way that it does? Why do the gods have it? Back when the old gods were a thing, did they have magic? Was it the same sort of magic as modern-day magic, or did it work different in any way? What did they do with it? What magical force decided to make Erit a habitable planet in the first place? (I ask myself one question and then this happens. I’d say sorry, but I heard you like tough questions, so... nah.)

Oh, I love this question! It’s so well-studied and researched that there are so many theories! But... unfortunately the best I can give you is that there’s no clear answer!

Um... don’t think that means we don’t know anything. There’s just so many theories and parts of them all have substantive segments to them with really good ideas! But unlike our fossil record, there’s just not a lot of proof? I guess? The Defeated (also called the old gods) didn’t just write stuff down for us to see!

But I can tell you that before The Defeated were destroyed, there was no magic in the world at all that could be used by the mortal races. Elves, humans (although at that time, humans were in their infancy as a species) fauns, gnolls... No one could use it. Elves keep very good records, and they were one of the most dominant species next to fauns all those thousands of years ago. The elves say they destroyed the Old Gods because the Old Gods were planning to wipe out life on Erit, but most other species just think that the elves were jealous of their magic and wanted it for themselves. Speaking as a former elf, the latter is almost certainly true.

As to how elves first harvested magic for use, my favorite theory is that magic itself is a permeable, chaotic force. At that point, it would be like sticking a sponge in a bucket of water. Only... Pretend you’re an elf, and you stick yourself in a bucket of... magic--you know what, it’s not a perfect analogy.

It’s also theorized that magic itself was an infection that started to destroy those who were exposed to it.

Or that the Old Gods weren’t gods at all, but wells or “storage tanks” where magic stored itself? I don’t think that one’s true, but it has its proponents, and it makes some good points.

See? like I told you, there’s no clear answer for why the gods had it, or where it came from, or what it even is. I’m sure this has an answer (author note: it does, but it’s a major spoiler :D), but we just can’t find the threads of history to follow.

We’re also not completely sure about how the New Gods rose. There’s no account of this at all. Most people believe that the free magic formed itself into gods, since magic can and does operate on its own sometimes. Which is why if you’re inventing a spell, you really need to take it slowly and make sure you’re covering every possible outcome.

At least these gods didn’t hoard the magic for themselves. I guess at that point it would have been impossible, though? It’s already saturated the planet. We were able to record a scoped picture of it from one of our moons, and it runs through Erit like tiny rivers. We call them ley lines and they look like fractures, just under the surface. We build our cities and energy siphons on them, and convert the wild magic to a usable form.

Ah... to be fair it’s REALLY easy to build something on a ley line. There’s some major ones, right? Those are hundreds of miles wide. But these all split off into little... ley-line tributaries I guess.

I don’t know if that answered all your questions, but it’s as good as I can do. Sorry!

[ask-benji-wild]

how many boxes do you have to sleep in

I have drawn this handy guide. :3

Please excuse the amateurishness of it. I’m still learning to draw with my telis. It’s not as easy as some would think!

[ask-benji-wild]

How fond/adverse are you and your friends of Manticore Snuggles? how fluffy are these snuggles, if they do occur?

Oh, well... I guess I hadn’t thought of it much. Um. Ptery--well, they aren’t really... And Luka--But Meadow... Uh. Let me start over. I guess I feel very alone? And very big. And I think I... Well I know it sounds ridiculous, but I’d hoped to have a family one day. You know, grow up and find someone nice to settle down with? And I think now that’s impossible because of what happened.But it must not be totally impossible! I’m trying to be positive. And since time’s gone on a bit I’ve seen my friends come around a bit. Luka was first. She and I have been close since her accident, and I think... Well, in another time, maybe we could have...But Meadow says I’m very warm. I don’t feel warm ‘cuz that’s just me I guess, and my wings apparently let the heat out really efficiently. I know you didn’t come here for a science lesson, but they’ve got a lot of blood vessels in them that sort of draw the heat up and out. The downside is they bleed a lot if they’re--I dunno. Stabbed? Um. Not that I have experience with that or anything. :And I suppose they’d be pretty fluffy! It’s weird saying ‘my fur’ because I still see myself as an elf. Even when I dream! That’s weird, huh? And a little sad. But my fur is thick and soft. Luka says it’s like rabbit fur. And Meadow has been collecting what I shed to make a sweater I guess. He’s very good at stuff like that.

[ask-benji-wild]

If there was anything you could change about yourself, what would it be and why?

Oh, I think I’d change a lot about myself. But not really that much, if I’m thinking about it. But maybe there’s a few things? That I might be able to think about changing? But then if you change those things, doesn’t that invalidate the experiences that led to those things happening? Isn’t the sum of your life all wrapped up in your experiences and your very self as it is? Because simply changing one thing in the past could lead to a cascade of differences in the future. What if I’d been the ninth child of my parents, and not the tenth! Perhaps I’d be the same person. With the same genetic makeup. Even the same penchant for puzzle-solving! But my life’s experiences would be so much different! I’d still be an elvish royal, for one. I do wonder how that would feel, sometimes. But I have such a great relationship with my birth parents that it’s hard to wish things were different! No, I can’t honestly consider it. Because what if I thought about it, and it came true! The fae could be listening, you know. They like to meddle in the affairs of other species! I think a powerful sect or nest might even be able to alter the past! How can I choose something if it might become reality? Oh... I shouldn’t even think about it... It could lead to disaster...Maybe I’d make myself a bit less superstitious. That’s a good thing, right? Are you listening, fae? Oh, right, I guess there was the whole thing with being turned. I’d love a cure for that. But not at the expense of it never happening, because so many interesting and wonderful things happened along the way. I learned so much about the liori! And myself, I suppose. And Ptery! And Meadow and Luka! None of that would have happened if I hadn’t won that contest and made that sphinx mad. So I can’t change that. But perhaps going forward? If there was a fix for what I’ve become, can I wish for that? Of course we’re not wishing. It’s all theoretical, isn’t it. But the fae!Oh... Bugger the fae!No, wait, I shouldn’t have said that!

[ask-benji-wild]

I know Meadow has you posing in your header with one of your old textbooks, but how much do you actually read/enjoy reading on your own time? What are your favorite genres, books, and/or authors?

I read all the time! Everything I can get my hands on! Or paws I guess! Or Telis! You can get so much information from books. I mean, you can get the information from the DragNET too, but there’s something about reading it that I really love. Lying in bed with an open book and just absorbing information ‘til I fall asleep is the best feeling in the world. That’s probably why Meadow went with the picture he did. Back when we were young, I’d always have a book with me. And every time we’d sit down or something, I’d start reading it--can you imagine? He thought I wasn’t paying attention to him. But as if any self-respecting elf can’t read and hold a conversation at the same time.He says I’m much better now, but I’m just more subtle about it. I have an e-reader on my terminal. He plays games on his while we’re chatting, and I imagine he thinks I’m doing the same. But the joke’s on him! Reading is a game for me! Hah!Sorry, I... I get carried away when it comes to books. Once I discovered that I could fit all my books--plus more--on my terminal, I kind of went a little crazy? I have hundreds of books I haven’t even read yet, but I mean to! Really! Ask anyone! And I could stop acquiring them any time if I wanted, but if we’re being honest here, can anyone have too many books?I mostly read non-fiction, because I like to learn. There’s so many authors I love, it’s hard to name just one. But Moy writes a lot about space and the colonization of our moons. Those are fun reads. Lunasun and Ansil are history buffs. They’re even writing a joint title, trying to piece together Erit’s history before the new gods. Did you know there’s almost nothing to be found about The Defeated? Ansil thinks when our current gods took power, they scrubbed the planet of Defeated references. She’s written a couple articles on the gnolls and their supposed connection with the Defeated, but it’s mostly conjecture. The gnolls don’t like talking to anyone.I do read a little fiction if it’s good. Meadow and Luka have been talking up this series. Harvy Pitter or something I think... Where this kid goes to some weird school where he has to learn to solve everything without magic? It’s hard to imagine. Magic is such an integral part of our lives on Erit that surviving without it... In any case, I’m intrigued.

[ask-benji-wild]

I don’t know if this is a better question to ask you or Luka, but I usually come to you for theoretical/historical-type stuff, so I’ll probe you first. Anyway, are there any kinds of species on Erit that have gone extinct for one reason or another? What made them go extinct, and do you have any personal favorites? Have Eritian paleontologists pinpointed any mass extinctions (related to natural or magical changes) on the planet’s surface in the past?

Oh I can’t answer all of these in detail, but I can say that Erit’s had its share of extinction events. Some smaller, some larger. I suppose it would be the same on any geologically active world exposed to space!As far as we can tell, it’s not going to be much of a problem anymore. That’s the hope, anyway. Hundreds of years ago, there were the hints of a mass extinction event starting in some areas of the world due to sentient expansion, but we’ve mitigated those problems by regrowing habitats and taking our expansion to our moons. Ammit has its own atmosphere and is well colonized, and we’re terraforming our other moon, Viyl. It’s currently colonized by science types and their families. But that leaves huge areas of wilderness on every continent of Erit where wildlife and plantlife can thrive!I do want to talk about one species, though. A sapient species which died outbetween the time the Old Gods were killed and the New Gods rose.Necromancers of Antirrhopus have been able to re-animate some of the bones,filling in the empty spaces in their history. I mean, we had quite a goodhistory of them before, but like gnolls, the kobla were secretive and keptmostly to themselves. The coolest thing about the kobla–and the mosttragic–is their population began to bottleneck and a genetic disease began toovertake the entire species.There’s this speech written down by the Cenozir (the leader) of what translates to the Tribe of Tribes about how they could die gracefully, or die in madness. They had to act now, or their legacy would be tarnished for all time.So all the leaders of the remaining tribes got together and decided they’d stopreproducing. They said that the gods had selected them for extinction, andthey’d go quietly into the dark. At that time there were only about a thousandkobla left anyway, and nothing they could do could stop the genetic illnessthat affected up to two-thirds of their children.Apparently genetic experimentation and stuff in their past had rendered them what we call an inert species. That is, they literally had nowhere to go. So they went extinct in our recent past! Well, relatively recent. It was stillthousands of years ago. And they are my favorite!oh and since you mentioned Luka, she wanted to contribute, so she drew one for you.

[ask-benji-wild]

What are the names of Erit’s moons, and what’re they made up of/what do their surfaces look like? While we’re on the subject, where is Erit in respect to its solar system?

Erithas six moons, each with unique properties and compositions. The nearest moonis Ammit, and while its atmosphere is not as hospitable as that of Erit, thereare several colonies set up on it, and it has vast stretches of water-ice oceans and is in theprocess of being terraformed!Along with Ammit, the next closest moon, Helo, affects the tides on theplanet.  Helo is a geologically active rock and is considered a volcanicworld. It's impossible to land there due to the extreme heat and pressure, butit's been well-mapped and documented.The other moons are Akk'kkh, Viyl, Mios-ila, and Xale. Xale is more of a... I'dsay "satellite" than an actual moon. It's the farthest out and seemsto be an irregularly-shaped asteroid caught in Erit's orbit!Erit is actually the first planet in the solar system, though there is a thinasteroid belt between Erit and our single sun. The asteroid belt is postulatedto be a planet eventually torn apart by the gravity pulling on it from both thestar and our own world.

All stars have a habitable zone, before or after which life is impossible. Erittakes up the entire habitable zone ofour star, and its position is quite precarious. In fact, it's only thanks tomagic that its orbit and rotation are maintained. Its surface is a mess ofclimates stuck where they definitely donot belong, and I'm actually quite surprised its axis hasn't tilted at anypoint in its history, dooming us all to a frozen and/or fiery end! (I'm actually really thankful for that. I don't mean to sound ungrateful! It'sjust that, as a planet, Erit is a fascinating anomaly!)After Erit, there's six other planets. None of them have signs of life.

[ask-benji-wild]

Do you like yarn nearly as much as you seem to like boxes?

[ask-benji-wild]

...”duarrow”? What’s that?

(Author Interruption: Duarrow is my world’s term for “dwarf.” I don’t like creating a species out of a word that’s used in real life for an actual genetic condition. As far as I know, it’s not considered offensive to do so, but it personally bothers me, and I’d rather err on the side of caution.I figure in their own language, they wouldn’t call themselves ‘dwarves’ anyway, since that’s the English word referring to Achondroplasia. My version is also slightly different, and like Elder Scrolls did, I decided it was best if I went for a completely new word! I have drawn one before, when I was drawing the gods. I’ll re-paste her below.)

[ask-benji-wild]

So your dads. Where’d they come from on Erit? What’re they like? Also, where’d you get Captain from? Was he adopted, a rescue, etc? And has he ever met the domesticated cat-bot Luka gave Ptery?

My Pops (Trevor) is from a city called Gwulo, to the West of the Ziro’s Spine range. A lot of people from there are either duarrow or have duarrow blood. Um... Pretty sure pops has some, but he’s not interested in his family tree that much! He was a traveler when he was young and he’s been all over Erit I think! I remember when I was little, he was the one who always used to get me to try... well y’know. Like when you’re little... and you don’t want to... Uh. Okay, I was a bit of a fearful child, to put it mildly! He’d be the one to give me a push in the right direction?Dad (Bertrum) is actually from right in Faun-ir! There’s actually lots of humans who live in the the forest. Mostly on the borders just ‘cuz allergies I think. There’s a lot of forest in the forest! Anyway he’s lived here his whole life because he’s just happy being where he is. He always encouraged me, too, but not like Pops. I’d look at the expression on his face to make sure things were okay. I think they usually were.Oh, and my birth-mom and birth-dad are king and queen of the entire elven kingdom. I feel like I should mention that. ‘Cuz we’re close :3 But it still seems weird when I think about it.As for captain, I wouldn’t call him a rescue. One night, Dad found a kitten in our trash and then he just kinna moved himself into our house? His name is actually Captain Trash-Heap. He gets along pretty good with Ny’zzri! That’s the thing’s name. It means sparkle or beautiful or fantasitc or something in the harpy language. Anyway, Ny’zzri gives off heat, and Captain loves that!!!

[ask-benji-wild]

Have any of the species on Erit attempted to study the solar system/galaxy surrounding it? If so, how much do you know about it? Has anyone attempted space travel? If not, what aspects of the planet (or intercultural conflicts) have stopped you guys?

HULLO! YES I AM THE EXPERT ON THIS THANK YOU FOR ASKING! :3 :3 :3!!!!um, yes, sorry. A couple of our moons are colonized and we do have some spacefaring capabilities! Unfortunately, due to the nature of the UNIVERSE, we haven’t met any extra-eritians yet, but we’ve gotten some deep space signals that are promising! I wrote a song about one of the colony missions. It failed. >_> but it’s just really something you can write a song about! Here it is:

All RedOr The Ballad of the Colony Mission DisasterBenjamin Wild

A hundred years ago it's toldThey left the atmosphere For Ammit in the sky so boldAway t'ward new frontiers

And there were upon that ship a thousand soulsAll brave and proud, and primed to meet their goalsThey had the education, they had the inclinationThey had a captain worthy of control

But it was not to be, for it is said:The first mate screamed: "Across the board, all red!"But not a volunteer among them criedThey vowed as one to save themselves instead

"All red," said Captain YanShe calmly parsed her fearThen raised a hand and said to all"We're getting out of here."

As the ship around them died, she radioed ground"All red," she said, our ship's become unsoundAnd in their darkest hour, when they'd all but lost their powerThey set a course to run the ship aground.

But first with warning broadcast to the massesThey suited up, intent to save their asses...They blew the hatch and at a steady paceThey one-by-one stepped out into darkest space

Free-floating as they were they saw their shipAcross its side, and asteroid-addled ripIt listed to one side and then it shearedIt bounced across old Ammit's atmosphere

And rescue came too late for someIn the cold and dark and dreadBut had they stayed aboard their shipAll thousand would be dead.

All red, all red, their dreams would cry For decades yet to riseYet in defeat, their vic'try writes: Their marriage to the skies.

[ask-benji-wild]

Benji’s terribly spoiled* cat

*the artist does not condone overfeeding your cat, but you have to admit, Captain is an absolute unit.

[ask-benji-wild]

So how do you feel about cats? Do you know how they typically act around Liori? Have you ever owned one?

I have a cat! His name is Captain and he’s fat and lazy and loves to be hugged. I was afraid how he’d react around me after I was turned, but this cat honestly loves everyone. It was no problem!