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[mezalean-mezzatinta]

3) What services do people expect from their government in your society?

Security, both physical and material. Irrigation and water supplies. Support for the elderly and disabled. You know, basic government things. Gotta keep the mesa happy too.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

youd better handle your daughter better or she'll go the same way as her namesake.

Anastasia won't be meeting her namesake at the Mother Tree anytime soon. She's got more than enough ways to stay safe.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

dont you think your kids deserve a better father? youre putting them in danger every time you breathe the same air as them. really, cursed king, you should know better than to start a family of your own. surely you dont think its luck that you were the only survivor of yours, do you?

My kids have the best mother in the world. They aren't wanting for good parents. They're happy.

Cursed king. Is that what I'm being called now? Cursed king? It was luck, it was some terrible blumming strike of fate. This isn't what you wanted? It wasn't my plan either. But I'm king now, and I'm a father now, and I'll be doing both of those until the day I'm dead, and I'll be as good at it as I possibly can be.

My family are not bargaining chips. Take their names out of your mouth unless you have something nice to say.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

Worldbuilding Ask Game Spotlight: Government (Part 1: General)

Hello! These questions are from this wonderful website, which provides even more worldbuilding questions! I figured it'd be fun to turn these questions into an ask game! :D

BEFORE REBLOGGING! Please take a moment to send one of these questions to the person you’re going to reblog this from, + a random person in the notes if you’re feeling generous!

1.) What services does the government or head-of-state provide for the general populace in your society?

2.) Are schools, wells, courts, and the army paid for by taxes? If not, who pays for them? If so, how are the people taxed?

3.) What services do people expect from their government in your society?

4.) What do people owe their government in your society?

5.) Do people pay their government in taxes, in labour, in crops, in military service, or something else?

6.) Who has the right to levy taxes? Who is expected to preform this duty? (The military, local constables, etc.) On what or on whom are taxes levied?

7.) Can taxes be paid in-kind, or do certain things always require money?

8.) Who provides support services for the head of state and what are they called (examples: councilors, ministers, secretaries, viziers)?

9.) Are offices hereditary, elected, or appointed? If they are appointed, by whom? If they are elected, how does the voting system work in your society? If it's hereditary, what happens when the heir is too young to take office, or if there is no heir at all?

10.) Can a government office be a career choice? If not, why? If so, how would a person go about choosing thsi career?

11.) Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of the army, the number and ability of the wizards, the amount of money and trade flowing through it, etc.?

12.) Who will take over running the government if the current head-of-state is incapacitated? How is succession determined? Is there an heir apparent (either actual or political)?

13.) Who is responsible for protecting the head-of-state? What safeguards does the head-of-state have against assassins, poison, assault, and magical attack?

14.) Who can give orders (to the military, to the tax collectors, to the civil servants, to ordinary folks on the street)? How are the people with the power to give orders chosen?

15.) Are any activities licensed or certified (driving, dog ownership, being an attorney or a physician)? Who does the certification or licensing? Is it merely formal (pay a fee, and get a license), or are there qualifications to meet? Can licenses or certifications be revoked, and if so, how?

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

Talk shit about someone my Muse knows.

Could be a friend, a loved one, maybe even an enemy! Try to provoke some sort of action out of them! Can be done on or off anon.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

Will you ever stop hating yourself?

I don't hate myself.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

((From the mun:

All of this is lies. All of it. Okay, maybe not the height thing, but the rest of it.

Joel's not comfortable in his skin physically or metaphorically. Physically is just a matter of,,, I don't really know how to describe this. He doesn't feel like his body is his anymore. Ever since he became king, he hasn't. It's because of the bond with the mesa, but I can't really describe it beyond that.

As for grappling with something--I mean. He lost his entire family to assassins that never came for him. He's still dealing with that, that either somebody wanted him to rule so badly they killed his family or that he wasn't enough of a threat to bother with. And if that's not enough, Joel knows he doesn't have a good reputation. He knows he's nobody's first choice for pretty much anything, and he doesn't know how to deal with it.

He didn't even address the last two questions, so that should give you the answer to the ultimate: no, he can't face up to the weakest version of himself. What does that version look like? Well, it looks a lot like a fifteen-year-old prince who ran away. Who's still trying to run. Who's so afraid of the ocean he can't bear to look at his wife. Who's so afraid of messing up that he can't make a decision.

He doesn't ever let that part of himself show to anybody, ever.

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

I'm not saying I wouldn't want to be taller given the option, but, you know. My body's fine. It's enough. And whatever's happened in the past, I've grown from it. I'm not haunted.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

I'm not saying I wouldn't want to be taller given the option, but, you know. My body's fine. It's enough. And whatever's happened in the past, I've grown from it. I'm not haunted.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

monster: Is your OC monstrous in any way? Is there something that makes them monstrous? Are they aware of their own monstrosity? Do they accept it or reject it?

I'm not a monster. I'm human, I'm very human.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

hunt: Who or what is your OC hunted by? A person, a feeling, a past mistake? Is your OC able to let their guard down, or are they constantly alert?

I know what the other empires think of me. Even in Mezalea, there are places where my name is a curse against the mesa. I won't be the king that sees Mezalea fall, no matter what they think.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

Send 😶 + a really uncomfortable question and my muse has to answer it

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

Hate's a pretty strong word. I don't really hate anything.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

alone and bound

((alone has been answered here))

It wasn't imprisonment, exactly. Protective custody. Just meant I couldn't go anywhere, do anything, you know... until they were sure I was safe. Guess that's what has to happen when your parents, um. It'd what I'd want for Tasia and Odhran.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

I'm rarely alone. I've spent my life surrounded by servants, advisors, tutors... family, most of the time. If I have a moment completely to myself, I'm probably just taking it to calm down.

I've been lonely, though. That's a lot harder to deal with. Mostly, I put it into art. Landscape paintings were my main escape for ages.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

oc asks: not-so-nice edition

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

hunt: Who or what is your OC hunted by? A person, a feeling, a past mistake? Is your OC able to let their guard down, or are they constantly alert?

mask: Does your OC wear a mask, literally or figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets to see who they are under the mask?

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

monster: Is your OC monstrous in any way? Is there something that makes them monstrous? Are they aware of their own monstrosity? Do they accept it or reject it?

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

torture: Has your OC ever been tortured? Would your OC ever torture someone else?

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

This feels like something worth addressing???

Hey Joel I made some soup do you want any? I made too much soup - Gem

That'd be great, Gem! You're such a sweetheart.

[mezalean-mezzatinta]

You should probably stop it?

Hey Joel I made some soup do you want any? I made too much soup - Gem

That'd be great, Gem! You're such a sweetheart.